Love Symphony
by yukisana
Summary: Their love was innocent until Yukimura snapped after his hospitalisation. Abused mentally & sexually, Sanada is now nothing more than a slave at his disposal. Can their nightmare become a dream again? ALPHA PAIR
1. Dolce

**A Prince of Tennis fanfic.  
SanaYuki pairing a.k.a. alpha pair  
**

**Story:** Love Symphony - Chapter.1

**Rating:** M

**Disclaimer:** Prince of Tennis belongs to Konomi Takeshi.

**Author's note:** My favorite story so far... Wet dreams and breaking voices... This is sort of an experiment, so it might be different to my usual writing style. Please review to let me know if it's good or not.

**Please review!**

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**1. Dolce**

_The Beginning. The beginning of a long dream..._

Sanada woke up just before his 4am alarm rang. His palms were sweaty and his heart thumped nervously. Changed into his hakama, Sanada slashed his sword at straw dolls to relieve his stress. When the sun finally rose, he took a shower and changed into his brand new uniform. His clumsy fingers fumbled with his tie for minutes before it finally looked acceptable.

He checked his bag thrice, making sure he had his books, pencil case, wallet, phone and of course, the Sanada family rock, before putting on his new blazer and shiny black shoes. He said goodbye to his father and mother and walked out of the house, embracing his new identity as a junior high student.

"What about breakfast, Gen-chan?" His mother ran out after him, but he did not hear her. He was already racing towards school; he did not want to be late on his first day.

When he arrived at school, there was no one except for a few senpai-tachi with bleached hair and a lot piercing who were too busy smoking to notice his petit figure. He was unsure of what to do; the only thing he knew was that he was in class 1-A (he had aced the entrance exam), but even so, that did not improve his situation.

He wandered aimlessly around the school, feeling quite anxious and lonely. "Sanada-kun!" The dreadful silence was broken and Sanada turned around, and saw a boy racing towards him.

"Yukimura-san?" Sanada recognised this boy from the elementary school tournaments; he was the champion of their age division. Yukimura looked different in school uniform, his aura much gentler than when he was playing tennis.

Yukimura waved upon Sanada's recognition. "So it is you!" Yukimura grinned widely, "I can't believe we're going to the same school! Are you trying out for the tennis team?" He added when he saw the racquet sticking out of Sanada's bag.

"Perhaps," Sanada said, feeling rather self-conscious under Yukimura's intense gaze. He saw that there was a racquet sticking out from Yukimura's bag as well, and like his blue Babolat, the red Yonex was brand new. "Are you?"

"Perhaps not," Yukimura said and stuck out his tongue playfully. "Hey, your tie is crooked," he added. Sanada blushed and moved his hand to fix his tie. But Yukimura beat him to it. He undid Sanada's tie before moving his fingers quickly to redo the knot. Sanada looked up into the sky and swallowed; he could smell a strong fragrance of rose and sandalwood shampoo from Yukimura. A few strands of hair tickled his neck and Sanada felt his heart increasing its rhythm. "It's done," Yukimura grinned and tucked the tie inside Sanada's blazer for him.

Other students began to arrive. Through the Public Address System, the first year students were instructed to proceed to the hall for orientation. Yukimura smiled and led the way. They sat together during the assembly and when Yukimura took out the sheet of paper for his speech as student representative, Sanada could swear he saw a registration form.

Yukimura was in 1-A as well. In first period, they had science, and were paired up to share a microscope. Sanada concentrated on copying a diagram of the microscope and labelling it, trying to ignore the admiring (from girls) or jealous (from boys) glances directed Yukimura. Yukimura did not seem to mind though, he seemed to be familiar with likewise situations; he joked through the whole lesson and even plucked a strand of Sanada's hair to examine it under the microscope.

At lunch, Sanada sat by himself in the stairways. He stared at his umeboshi onigiri and fried tofu, feeling lonely and foreign. _Make friends_, his mother told him last night, obviously concerned by his solitary attitude and his lack of friends in elementary school. But Sanada shrugged off the thought as he munched on the warm rice ball, thinking about the tennis tryouts after school. "Sanada-kun," Yukimura suddenly appeared, and without even asking for permission, sat down besides Sanada.

"Yukimura-san, why are you here?" Sanada asked. Unlike him, Yukimura was popular the instant he presented himself to the grade. Everyone liked him, and in class, _everyone_ wanted to be his partner in team work.

"Having lunch," Yukimura said light-heartedly, not answering the question at all. "Or would you prefer to eat alone?"

"No," Sanada mumbled and put the fried tofu in his mouth. Yukimura took out a ham and cheese roll from the paper bag he was holding. He tore it with his teeth and swallowed the bread in large chunks, gulping down his lunch with an incredible speed.

"Want some?" Yukimura asked and handed Sanada a small piece. Sanada was too embarrassed not to take it. He placed it in his mouth slowly, fully aware that Yukimura was waiting for a response.

"It's nice," Sanada said truthfully. Then, after a moment of hesitation, he asked bashfully, "would you like some onigiri?"

"Sure," Yukimura beamed and took the onigiri Sanada handed over. When he finished, he exclaimed, "it's fantastic. Did your mother make it?"

Sanada nodded. He did not want to admit that he makes his own lunch.

After school, Sanada walked to the tennis courts with Yukimura. The tryouts were being held today and already, there was a line at the registration table. Sanada joined the line, feeling insignificant among the seniors and sophomores. "Good luck," Yukimura said and disappeared. Perhaps Yukimura was not joining the team after all, Sanada thought.

* * *

The list with the names of the regulars was posted outside the club room the next day. When the bell rang, Sanada sprinted from class towards the tennis courts, praying that his name would be on the list. When he arrived, there were already a crowd in front of the list. As he made his way through the crowd, he could see frustration on almost everyone's faces.

He began to read the list, and his heart pounded against his chest so loudly that he could almost hear it. Under the heading "1st years", there were two printed names. The first was Yukimura's and the second belonged to someone named "Yanagi Renji". A wave of disappointment hit Sanada, and he turned away, biting his lips. Suddenly, a petit figure jumped from the tree and landed in front of him. It was Yukimura, smiling cheerfully at Sanada. "Hello," Yukimura said jovially. Sanada lowered his head and passed Yukimura without a word. He was ashamed.

Yukimura chased after him and Sanada just wished to be left alone. He brushed Yukimura's hand from his shoulder and walked on, quickening his pace. "Wait!" Yukimura cried after him, but Sanada broke into a run. His attraction to the striking boy had suddenly become repulsion. He did not hate – or even remotely dislike – Yukimura, but the feeling of inferiority wounded him greatly.

"Sanada-kun," a voice he did not recognised called out. Sanada turned to the source of the voice and saw a boy leaning against a sakura tree. "I'm Yanagi Renji."

Sanada's eyes widened at the mention of the name. He stared at the boy and saw that he was holding a yellow jersey. He was smiling at Sanada calmly, his bob cut tousled as a gust of wind breezed past. Sanada mumbled, "Pleased to meet you," before walking away in another direction. He did not need another confrontation to lower his self-esteem further.

"I'm sure we'll be great team mates," Yanagi's voice trailed behind him, quiet but clear.

Sanada stopped in his tracks. What did he mean by team mates?

"Sanada-kun! There you are!" Yukimura was sprinting towards him, waving a sheet of paper in the air. "Oh, Yanagi-kun is here as well."

"Yukimura-kun," Yanagi nodded.

"Sanada-kun, why did you run off?"

"97% chance that he thought he didn't make it for the regular team."

Yukimura gave Yanagi a blank stare before shoving the piece of paper in Sanada's face. "Read it!" Yukimura demanded. Without a choice, Sanada obeyed the command.

And his name was at the very bottom, the characters a bunch of messy squiggles.

"Buchou forgot to print your name," Yukimura said. Sanada was overwhelmed by surprise. His jaw fell open as he stared at his barely legible name. It was simply unbelievable.

Yukimura cleared his throat and spoke. "Let's aim to win three nationals in a row!" He said, putting his hand down.

Yanagi smiled and nodded, and placed his hand on top of Yukimura's.

They waited for Sanada's. _It was hardly possible to win one Nationals, let alone three,_ Sanada thought. But looking at Yukimura and Yanagi's eager expressions, he placed his hand on top of theirs with a quiet sigh.

The Nationals was such a far-stretched dream.

* * *

The first practice was held the following Monday. Sanada and Yanagi both practised with their captain and vice-captain. And both of them were crushed in quick, one-sided matches. Yanagi disregarded his losses, telling Sanada that he should have expected it since there was no way a first year could defeat the strongest two of the team.

But it was not okay. Yukimura won easily against both their captain and vice-captain half an hour later. Yanagi shrugged and said it was only natural for Yukimura to decimate his opponents. Sanada ignored Yanagi and gazed at Yukimura, who was gulping down a bottle of water at an inhuman speed. He secretly wished he was better than Yukimura in some way or other.

Well, at least his yellow jersey fitted him; even though Yukimura was wearing the smallest size, it hung off him like an oversized poncho. It was a wonder Yukimura could even wear it playing tennis without getting tangled in it.

A tingle of iciness on his cheek disrupted Sanada's thoughts suddenly. He looked up and saw Yukimura holding out a can of Ponta to him. "Is it nice?" Yukimura asked after Sanada took a sip. Sanada nodded and Yukimura took the can from him, taking a large gulp.

"Hmm... not bad," Yukimura said and handed the can back to Sanada. "I'll buy another one. Thanks for trying it out for me." Yukimura winked mischievously and ran off to buy another can.

Sanada took another sip. The tingly grape flavour was a mix of sugary sweetness with a dash of sour grapes. But there was something different from the first sip he took. He could taste the almost indistinguishable sweat from Yukimura's salty lips. It lingered in his mouth for the rest of training.

When he went to sleep that night, his thoughts still revolved around that salty taste. It was not particularly appetizing, but it was addictive like a drug. He could not rest peacefully that night, for his body was craving desperately for the taste of Yukimura's lips.

* * *

Every time he looked at Yukimura's lips, his feet would wobble like jelly and butterflies would flutter in his stomach. He wanted to touch them, to taste them again. That addictive salty taste never left his mind, instead intensifying every time he stared at those soft, curvy lips.

"Are you okay?" Yanagi asked, noticing Sanada's blank stare and involuntary trembling. "Are you sick?"

"No," Sanada replied and walked away. It was not the truth. Even though he was fine physically, he was emotionally shaken. He felt like a hideous monster wanting to take advantage of Yukimura's purity. He could not speak to Yukimura anymore. He did not dare; watching Yukimura's lips form different shapes as he spoke was too much of a temptation.

Anyway, the Kantou Finals was coming up in a week. He needed to concentrate now.

* * *

They won. They were one tiny step closer to achieving that impossible dream of winning three Nationals in a row.

* * *

Sanada could not pretend anymore. He did not want to use practice as a distraction anymore. He decided that rather than living so pathetically, constantly playing hide-and-seek, he would confront his feelings. To himself, and to Yukimura.

He planned to confess to Yukimura under the "confession tree". It was something he heard about when Nishiki-senpai was planning out _his_ confession a little too loudly. Apparently, the tree was planted _a long time_ ago and there was some kind of magical element to it that would bring good luck to the confessor. Sanada did not believe those fairytales, especially when Yukimura had already rejected 58 girls under that tree.

Sanada passed Yukimura a slip of paper during class. _I need to talk to you after training today._ Yukimura looked at him and simply nodded. Sanada reached for the paper, and was caught by the teacher. She gave him lunchtime detention for not paying attention. Sanada thought that was really unfair; Yukimura _never_ listened and he _never_ got in trouble.

Sanada sat in the classroom all alone during lunch; there was no one else in detention with him. He began to plan out his confession again when the door slid open. It was Yukimura. "Hello," he said cheerfully, sitting on Sanada's table.

"Hi," Sanada said and hiccupped. Yukimura grinned and patted his back. "Why are you here?" Sanada asked in between a violent fit of hiccups.

"I wanted to see you," Yukimura said, twirling a strand of hair. "By the way, what did you want to talk to me about?"

Sanada blushed. He opened his mouth, but his hiccups refused to stop. It was impossible for him to stop. Sanada cursed himself for being such a fool in front of Yukimura. Now there would not even be a chance Yukimura would replicate his feelings. "Here," Yukimura took out a bottle from his bag and handed it to Sanada. "Drink some water before you choke."

Before Sanada could refuse, Yukimura had already unscrewed the bottle lid for him, urging him to have a little water. Sanada placed his lips on the bottle neck, trying to ignore the fact that Yukimura had _too _drunk from this bottle, and gulped a mouthful of water.

"Better?" Yukimura asked, putting the bottle back into his bag.

Sanada felt better without his hiccups, but he was even more nervous than before. What if he confessed and Yukimura refused? Sanada did not want to ruin their friendship. He was terrified of losing Yukimura, his first ever best friend.

"So what did you want to tell me?" Yukimura asked, tucking the strand of hair behind his ear.

Sanada took a deep breath. He held onto the edge of the table, fingernails dug into the wood. "I like..." He began.

But then, everything went horribly wrong. His voice cracked and Yukimura stared at him strangely. Sanada wanted to dig a hole in the ground and hide in it forever. He felt like such a fool.

"Pardon?" Yukimura asked politely.

Sanada tried again, but his voice was so croaky that his words were barely audible. The door suddenly slid open and two girls walked in, both wearing their bleached brown hair in braided pigtails.

"Yukimura-kun, please go out with me!" The one standing in front shouted suddenly, bowing her head.

Sanada looked at Yukimura and wondered how he would react. "Sorry," Yukimura was calm as usual, "I need to concentrate on tennis right now. I'm really sorry."

The girl looked at Yukimura for a brief moment before running out in tears. The second girl stared at Yukimura with a strange expression before chasing her friend. Sanada could hear their footsteps fading away in the corridors. Yukimura scoffed. "What idiots," he said, walking towards the door to close it. Then, he started laughing when he caught sight of Sanada's questioning expression. "I thought they would learn from their friends. She's the 59th person I've said no to this year. Although..." Yukimura closed the door and kneeled down when he noticed a small silver pendant on the ground. He picked it up and held it up towards the fluorescent light tubes. He grinned and continued, "she's a little more special than others. She's the first to confess anywhere else other than under the confession tree."

Yukimura tossed the pendant to Sanada. "Isn't it beautiful?" Yukimura asked, sitting down beside Sanada again. "It's real silver, ne. I can't believe she dropped it."

"It's hers?"

"Of course. It's a couple's pendant. See how it's half a heart? She has the other half. She probably threw this on the ground when I rejected her. How funny, she bought this even before she asked. She must have been pretty confident."

"Even though I'm not really into this sort of stuff," Sanada said wearily, "she _is_ the most popular girl in our grade. _Everyone_ wants to go out with her."

"I don't. Do you?"

"Of course not."

"Exactly." Yukimura took the pendant from Sanada. "I would really like one of these. It's so beautifully symbolic. Wouldn't it be nice if you shared a heart with the one you love?" Then, with a flick of his wrist, he threw the pendant out of the opened window. Sanada stared at Yukimura, wondering what provoked such an act. "I only want the one I love to say 'I love you' to me. I hate random people confessing to me." Yukimura sighed, his brows gathered in a frown.

Looking at that annoyed expression, Sanada decided that he would _never_, _ever_ confess. "What were you saying before she disturbed us?" Yukimura turned his attention to Sanada again.

"Nothing," Sanada croaked.

He sounded like a frog.

* * *

"Here." Yukimura passed Sanada a box of cherries. Sanada plucked the stem off and plopped it into his mouth, swiftly spitting the seed out. Yukimura pointed to the stalk and said, "You're supposed to tie a knot with it. With your tongue."

Sanada frowned, but nevertheless placed it into his mouth and wiggled his tongue around. "Like this?" He asked, sticking his tongue out, the stalk now a knot.

Yukimura peered over. "That's amazing!" He exclaimed, "How did you do that?!"

"Why would you want to tie a knot with it anyway?" Sanada said, throwing the stem into the rubbish bin.

"It means you're a good kisser," Yukimura said and his lips curled into a secretive smile. "Have you kissed anyone before, Sanada?"

"No," Sanada mumbled embarrassedly, his voice a weirder croak than normal.

Yukimura handed Sanada another cherry. "Tie it!" He said. His face glowed excitedly, like a child amused by the patterns on a ladybug's back. Sanada shrugged and tied a knot with his tongue again, even quicker than before. Yukimura stared and pouted. Then, he took one for himself and tied it with his hands before putting it into his mouth.

"See? I can do it too!" He said, grinning.

"Cheater," Sanada muttered, a smile appearing on his solemn face.

"You look good when you smile," Yukimura commented suddenly. "The other day, I heard the girls say..." He started coughing violently before he could finish his sentence though. Sanada fumbled for his bottle of water, but Yukimura shook his head. "I'm fine," he said, clearing his throat, and smiled again, "there's one last cherry. You can have it."

But Yukimura placed the cherry in between his teeth instead and leaned in close to Sanada. Yukimura pointed to the cherry with a slender finger and Sanada reached for it with his hand. Yukimura shook his head and swatted Sanada's hand away, pointing to his mouth. Sanada finally realised what Yukimura wanted, and his face and neck flushed crimson red instantly. Without the patience to wait any longer, Yukimura simply placed it at Sanada's lips. Then, pushing the cherry with his tongue, he passed it to Sanada.

Their lips brushed just before they pulled away. Yukimura's lips were softer than Sanada imagined, and they tasted sugary, like a over-ripen cherry.

The next morning, Sanada woke up from his first wet dream.

* * *

Sanada never analysed his feelings towards Yukimura. He assumed them to be fear, admiration and friendship. But now, it was obviously something more. Every time he remembered the softness of Yukimura's lips, his heart would beat like crazy. Every time he brushed fingers with Yukimura when they reached for the same lunch at the cafeteria, his legs would turn into jelly. Every time he saw Yukimura wrap his mouth around an ice-block, his pants would become too tight for comfort. He did not want to think of Yukimura in such explicit ways because he loved Yukimura. But his body's lust was rebelling against his morality and resistance.

He did not know what to do anymore. He loved Yukimura and he hated himself for such an emotion. A week before the beginning of the nationals, Sanada finally decided to cut his bonds with Yukimura. "Buchou," Sanada went up to his third year senpai when there was no one left in the change rooms.

"What is it?"

"I..." Sanada took a deep breath. What he was about to request was the total opposite to his heart's desire. "Please don't make me Yukimura's partner in the nationals!" He cried and bowed deeply, praying for approval.

The captain turned to Sanada and looked at him solemnly. "Why? I though you two were good friends," he said, frowning.

"Please!" Sanada begged, "Anyone but him!"

The older boy looked at his kouhai and wondered what caused the sudden change of heart. "Fine," he finally said, "you can play doubles with Renji. I'll let Seiichi play singles."

"Thank you," Sanada said sincerely and turned to leave.

His heart skipped a beat when he saw that Yukimura was at the door. His lips were trembling as tears filled his hazel orbs. His knuckles were white and his cheeks were drained of colour. "Yukimura..." Sanada said, unable to explain. Yukimura stared at him questioningly before turning, running away. Sanada watched as Yukimura's figure disappeared into the far distance, leaving only a trail of tears behind.

Yukimura's footsteps faded away and all Sanada could hear, were his own pathetic, croaky sobs.

* * *

Keeping his promise, the captain never paired Sanada with Yukimura. As expected, Yukimura ignored him, avoiding conversations or even eye-contact. It hurt Sanada to keep himself away from Yukimura, but he told himself it was all for the better. _Yukimura did not need admirers_, he thought, _I'm just another annoying follower bothering him with this stupid feeling called love._

Sanada had always thought he was different to other people. He never expected to fall in love with someone _they_ would fall in love with. But of course, _anyone_ could – and would – become a victim to Yukimura's beauty and charm; his charisma was simply impossible to resist. As much as he hated to admit it, Sanada was the same as all of them, devoted to Yukimura, but rejected by his cold indifference.

It was impossible to reach Yukimura. _Dreams alone could not reach the heavens._

_

* * *

_It was a common vice for humans to wish – and assume – that they had control over everything. But more powerful forces in nature often contradict our assumptions, like the arms of a clock spinning anti-clockwise. This unpredictability, some called it God, some called it karma, and some called it: Destiny. He did not know, but on that sunny day of the Nationals semi-final, the first act of fate was committed.

Sanada was a reserve for the semi-finals, a decision he was not particularly pleased with, but one he could not rebuke because of the choice he made earlier. During the Singles 2 match, he was sent off to the vending machine to buy drinks for his senpai-tachi. _Why couldn't they just send a club member to get it?_ Sanada thought, a little annoyed. He inserted the coins into the machine and waited for the drink to roll out. The machine did not respond, simply taking without returning. Sanada stared at the machine angrily, cursing it for eating his money. Nevertheless, he did not forget the orders of his senpai-tachi, and he turned to the adjacent machine, inserting coins again.

Just when he had finishing buying the five cans of drinks he was ordered to, he saw the vice-captain running over. _Crap_, Sanada winced,_ he's going to call me slow again_. But instead of shouting at Sanada for being so tediously sluggish, the vice-captain snatched all the drinks from Sanada's hand and handed him his red Babolat racquet. Sanada looked confusedly at his vice-captain, who should still be playing his Singles 2 match.

"Genichirou," his vice-captain said, trying to catch a breath, "my opponent forfeited. Doubles 1 is starting now." Sanada stared at his senpai blankly, wishing he would just get straight to the point instead of telling him something he already knew.

"Nishiki twisted his ankle when he was knocked over by a crowd of Hyoutei fan girls. You're replacing him. Now."

Even before he arrived, Sanada could already hear "A-TO-BE! A-TO-BE!" resonating throughout the courts thunderously. He ran onto the courts, and realised – even though he should have known – who his partner was. Yukimura was standing at the baseline, gazing at him with a hateful glare. "Yukimura... I..." Sanada stuttered.

"Be quiet," Yukimura said icily, turning away, "just take your place at the net."

"Can you two just shut up?" A cocky voice said before Sanada could say anything else to Yukimura. Sanada spun around and faced his opponents. The two players opposite him were, like him and Yukimura, first years. Atobe and Oshitari. Sanada recognised them from scouting videos. They were the only first years, but among the best of the Hyoutei team. "Yukimura and Sanada, eh?" Atobe smirked as Yukimura tossed the ball. "What luck that I happened to want to play Doubles 1 instead of Singles 1 today! Ore-sama heard that you two are quite _interesting_ ones..."

If Sanada did not wish to risk getting a concussion by getting hit by Yukimura's serve, he would have walked over to Atobe, reached over the net and whacked him on the head with the racquet. He hated people who addressed themselves as _ore-sama_. How stupidly vain.

Yukimura took his serving game easily with four successive aces. Sanada could not put into words how much he enjoyed listening to the fading cheers and seeing Atobe's irritated expression. His glee, however, was taken away quickly when Atobe produced several aces against Sanada himself, wiping off his grin. Yukimura's constant scoffs did not help either, shaking Sanada's confidence as the match went on. He began to make careless, amateurish mistakes, forcing Yukimura to cover almost the whole court. "Sanada," Atobe said, his voice mockingly vain, "are you going to play seriously? Girly over there's not going to last if he has to play for you as well!"

"Be quiet!" Sanada yelled and wished instantly that he did not. His cracked voice sounded even more pathetic than usual when amplified. "Don't call Yukimura a..."

"Shut up, Sanada." Yukimura said even though Sanada was to his defence. "Atobe, let's just get on with the match."

Without another word, Yukimura walked to the baseline, waiting for Oshitari's serve. Watching Yukimura's swaying figure, Sanada wished he could just explain and apologise. Atobe sneered as he observed his opponents' lack of communication with a keen eye. They were heading towards self-destruction, tripping each other over, one with hostility and the other with guilt. They would not last much longer against him.

* * *

The ball zoomed past Yukimura and Sanada as their racquets crashed into each other's. "Game, set and match! 6-2 to Atobe-Oshitari!"

After they shook hands with a smirking Atobe and a grinning Oshitari, Yukimura grabbed Sanada's collar forcefully and shoved him against the wall. Sanada closed his eyes and winced, but did not attempt to break free. He knew he deserved Yukimura's wrath (after all, the only games they won were Yukimura's serving games, which were taken both times with four consecutive aces). His team mates, however, thought differently and pulled Yukimura away from Sanada, telling them to clear away for Singles 1, the deciding match.

When they were out of hearing distance from the rest of the team, Yukimura leaned in, placing his lips right next to Sanada's ears. Sanada could smell sweat, deodorant and rose and sandalwood shampoo as Yukimura leaned in. But that alluring fragrance failed to captivate his heart as usual, for Yukimura's following words chilled his heart and soul.

"I've never lost since I was 8. And even so, this is the _worst_ loss in my life. Now I know why you didn't want me to be your partner."

"_It was humiliating."_

* * *

After three sleepless nights, Sanada finally decided.

If they won... he would apologise.

And confess.

* * *

With 3 wins against 2 losses, Rikkai had vanquished Shitenhouji in the Nationals Finals. They were the victors of this long journey of constant struggles, and along the way (they played Singles 1, 2 and 3 in the finals), Yukimura, Sanada and Yanagi picked up the moniker "Rikkai no Sannin Bakemono". Also, by annihilating Shitenhouji's famed captain 6-0 in Singles 1 within 15 minutes, Yukimura earned himself the title of "The Child of God".

Now, he was even further from Sanada. _Dreams could never reach the heavens._

But nevertheless, Sanada was determined to honour his promise. He would apologise and confess to Yukimura. It was to be an act of reconciliation, or perhaps, an act that would end their relationship, once and for all.

* * *

He could not pinpoint the exact moment when his lust for Yukimura became love, but standing under the confession tree with Yukimura less than a metre away seemed as though that moment belonged to the distant past.

"Yukimura," Sanada said, his heart beating _doki doki_, "I'm really sorry for ruining that doubles match."

Yukimura avoided Sanada's gaze and caught a sakura petal in his hand. He crushed it and ripped it into tiny pieces before scattering them onto the ground. "It's fine, I don't care," Yukimura said, his voice as chilling as ice.

"And... about the conversation I had with buchou..."

"I told you. I understand."

"No... I... It's just... I..."

"What?" Yukimura's voice was bitter and harsh. "What? Are you going to tell me how much you detest me? Or are you going to tell me what a horrible person I am?"

"No," Sanada said quietly. Thunder cracked and bright lightening streaked across the sky. The damp, musky smell of approaching rain filled the air. Cicadas had stopped singing, as have the birds that took shelter from the nearing storm.

"Then what?" Yukimura leaned up towards Sanada, who seemed to have grown a lot taller than Yukimura in the past few months. "What exactly, do you want to tell me?" Yukimura's face was only a few inches from Sanada's. A strong whiff of rose and sandalwood shampoo swirled around Sanada and he could see, behind locks of stray hair, the clear question in Yukimura's narrowed eyes.

"I..." Sanada took a deep breath, inhaling the suffocatingly heavy air, "I like you!"

Yukimura pulled away, a shocked expression replacing scorn. Red flooded his cheeks and for a moment, Sanada thought he was blushing. He was wrong. Yukimura burst out in a fit of laughter, his liquid clear voice tinkling through the empty school grounds like an intricate silver bell.

It was a beautiful, mocking noise.

That laughter told Sanada that he was the 60th person to be rejected this year. He stood motionlessly as his face and neck flushed scarlet red. He wished he could fly off to Mars and never come back – or perhaps the further Jupiter would be an even better idea. Yukimura's beautiful laughter was ringing, loud and clear despite the thunderclaps. The captivating tintinnabulation was so enthralling that it was almost piercing, too harsh for the ear. Sanada felt his blood boil, but whether it was from excitement or rage, he did not know. He did not know how long that enchanting string of laughter lasted for, but as much as he hated it, he knew it enticed and hypnotised him. Sanada closed his eyes, that mesmerising, taunting noise resonating all around him.

He opened his eyes when the crystal laughter stopped abruptly. Yukimura was on the floor trembling, his hand on his cheek. It was swollen, an angry crimson. _What did I do?!_ Sanada thought frantically, baffled and at a lost of what to do. Yukimura's lips were set in a hard line as he tried to pretend that the punch did not hurt. His hands tightened into fists as he stood up again, wiping blood from his cracked lips. Then, he took a few breaths slowly, and his trembling stopped.

His lips parted and that musical laughter rang once again.

"Stop!" Sanada shouted, his eyes sprung wide with fear. "Please! Please... please... stop!" He squatted on the floor and pressed his hands against his ears, shutting the world away. He would rather die than being hated by the one he loved so dearly. Perhaps it was his punishment for trying to reach too high.

_Dreams were not meant to touch the heavens._

"Genichirou..." A pair of warm hands laid on top of his and gently pried them from his ears. Sanada looked up and saw Yukimura crouching in front of him, looking at him with sobered eyes with a glimmer of dimmed radiance that Sanada did not understand. "Genichirou," Yukimura repeated, his sharp intonation now sedated into a soft, tender whisper, "I'm sorry. But..."

"I like you too."

"No... no..." Sanada shook his head hysterically, "no... no... no... that's not... possible... no..."

"Why not?" Yukimura asked softly, genuinely concerned.

"Because... because... you hate me!" Sanada cried, his emotions pouring out of his psychological barrier he had erected to protect himself from the truth. "You hate me! And how can someone like you ever like _me_? You're popular and you're perfect! You have so many admirers, so why would you choose _me?_"

Yukimura straightened his body and pulled Sanada up as well. "I don't know," Yukimura said. There was almost a hint of annoyance in his tone. "I can't explain everything. Love is supposed to be unexplainable anyway. I guess it's just because you're so genuine. And you truly care about me, not like those idiotic girls who only want to go out with me so they can boast to their friends. No, you're truly kind to me. You're always by my side, no matter how big a tantrum I throw, or how unreasonable I am. I am myself around you. And I like you for that."

"Like...?"

"I like you. A lot." Then, his cheeks reddening suddenly, he added shyly, "I love you."

The Confession Tree brought good luck after all.

* * *

Sanada stared at the small parcel he was holding as he walked closer to the crowd at the back of the 1-A classroom. It was Yukimura's birthday and it seemed that the whole grade had gathered in their classroom to celebrate. There was a stack of presents on the teacher's table, waiting for Yukimura to open after he cut his cake. Almost all the presents were from admirers and were wrapped delicately and decorated with ribbons and stickers. Sanada looked at his own, and felt comparatively insignificant. His was a tiny box, wrapped neatly in brown paper. He hoped Yukimura would not mind the plain wrapping.

He joined the crowd inconspicuously as they began singing "Happy Birthday". Sanada could see Yukimura sitting in the middle of the crowd, a happy smile hanging from his face. When the song finished, he blew out the thirteen candles and everyone cheered loudly. After cutting the cake, he stood up and moved to the present pile. All the girls screamed to have their presents opened first and Yukimura was looking for a present that did not belong to _any _of those girls when he caught sight of Sanada.

With a mischievous grin, he climbed onto the table in the centre of the room and silenced everyone. "I have an exciting announcement to make," he said and everyone watched him eagerly, Sanada included. "I've been told today that I'm going to become the tennis club's buchou next year!"

The room exploded in applaud and cheer. Sanada looked up at his friend. He felt proud and ecstatic that Yukimura was captain, and also that he could be under Yukimura's leadership.

Yukimura waited until the room quietened a little before speaking again. "I have also chosen my fukubuchou," he announced loudly and everyone held their breaths, waiting to see who was good enough to be _Yukimura-sama's _vice captain. "Sanada," he said and everyone turned to face the astonished boy, "will you be my fukubuchou?"

Still shocked, Sanada nodded.

The room broke into another round of applause as Yukimura hopped down the table and proceeded to his new vice-captain. Sanada grinned stupidly, still recovering from shock, and shook Yukimura's extended hand. He had never felt so happy before. The card he spent the last 24 hours drawing, and the pendant he spent 10 months of pocket money on, seemed oh-so insignificant.

It felt as if it was _his_ birthday instead of Yukimura's. Words could not describe his thoughts or emotions.

"Be my fukubuchou until the day you beat me," Yukimura whispered into Sanada's ear, his eyes bright and animated. "Will you?"

"Of course."

* * *

Thank you if you have read through the whole chapter! Thank you so much for your patience and perseverance. I hope that did not bore you to death... The action starts next chapter!!!

**Please review!!!**


	2. Affettuoso

**A Prince of Tennis fanfic.  
SanaYuki pairing a.k.a. alpha pair  
**

**Story:** Love Symphony - Chapter.2

**Rating:** M

**Disclaimer:** Prince of Tennis belongs to Konomi Takeshi.

**Author's note:** Unlike some of my other stories, this story follows the actual timeline of PoT. Contrary to popular belief, Yukimura was not hospitalised in the winter of his 2nd year (he was in hospital, but probably not for a long time). He was admitted into hospital on July 17th 2008 (in his 3rd year). Evidence of this can be found in chapter 198, pg 1. The date is noted on the calendar.

**Thanks to EVERYONE who reviewed last chapter. It was really motivational. Thank you.  
**

**

* * *

2. Affettuoso**

Sanada took a long, deep breath and rang the doorbell. The door swung open immediately and Yukimura appeared, a grin lifting the corners of his mouth as he took Sanada's hand in his.

"No one's home yet, but they'll be back by dinner," Yukimura said, leading Sanada into the living room. Contrary to his own house, Yukimura's house was decorated in a western style, with carpeted floors and oil paintings on the walls. The walls were white with the slightest hint of blue, matching the mauve-coloured carpets. On top of the glass coffee table, a bouquet of pink roses was arranged neatly in a delicate china vase. It was in harmony with the long leather couch, which was white and had two cushions on either end.

The house was so grand and beautiful; Sanada could not help but think how suitable this house was for Yukimura.

Yukimura squeezed Sanada's hand to get his attention. "Come," he whispered. Sanada followed Yukimura through the dining room (which had a redwood table able to fit four seats on each side), kitchen (which was as big and equipped as a professional kitchen) and into a corridor. At the end was a plain door, white washed with a thin layer of paint. A sign hung on a nail and Sanada recognised Yukimura's slanted handwriting: _Seiichi's room. Private._

Sanada cast Yukimura a questioning glance, wondering why his room was in such a secluded spot. "Welcome," Yukimura grinned at Sanada, excitement radiating, "to my paradise."

He pushed the door open and Sanada immediately realised why his _room_ was there. It was not a room at all. It was... the most beautiful garden Sanada had ever seen. A million colours flashed before him at once; a structured streak of rainbow, not dizzying splotches of colour one would expect when looking at so many colours at once. After his initial shock, Sanada wondered how much money Yukimura had spent to create a garden like this. _How rich is he really?_

Yukimura took Sanada's hand and led him onto the stone path. Sanada was amazed as they walked through, surrounded by flowers. Who could have thought such an Eden could have existed in a backyard?

As they went deeper into the garden, following the spiralling path, Sanada noticed that the colour palette began to change. At the start of the path, bright orange orchids bloomed vibrantly against vivid red azaleas. After that, delicate buds of golden narcissuses dotted the garden bed. Pink hydrangea and rosy foxgloves followed, and just before they were at the centre, ivory gardenias scented the air with their fresh aroma. Then, taking a sharp turn, they finally reached the centre.

Sanada could not believe his eyes.

There was a pond as well with white lilies and white lotuses, and beside it, a small gazebo stood, surrounded by white roses. Sanada stared, the delicate beauty hard to comprehend. "Wow..." he said, unable to find any other suitable words.

Yukimura chuckled. "I've worked on this since I was... hmm... four."

"FOUR?!"

"I love water painting and on my 4th birthday, my mother gave me a pot plant to draw. After I drew it, I didn't want it to die, so I planted it in our empty backyard. Gardening gradually became my pastime and with my pocket money and prize money, I bought more and more types of plants... until my garden became this." Yukimura took Sanada's hand and led him into the gazebo. "Do you like it?" He asked, sitting down on the huge hammock that was tied to the four poles of the gazebo.

"Of course!" Sanada sat down as well, his eyes still wandering through the garden. "It's absolutely beautiful."

Yukimura beamed and lay back onto the hammock. He pulled Sanada down and said, "Close your eyes. It smells really nice." Sanada shut his eyes and breathed deeply. Indeed, the scent was refreshingly aromatic. "I still haven't thanked you for the pendant," Yukimura suddenly said and Sanada sat up.

"There's no need," Sanada said quickly. "It was your birthday anyway."

"But I still want to thank you." Yukimura smiled gently. He gently lifted Sanada's necklace from beneath his shirt and held the pendant. He picked up his own, and leaning close, he joined their pendants together. "Look, it's a complete heart," he said, smiling warmly. Then, letting go of the pendants, he closed his eyes and tilted his head slightly.

Yukimura parted his lips slightly and leaned closer to Sanada's. Sanada shut his eyes tightly and moved to meet Yukimura's lips.

"Ouch!"

Both of them backed away, rubbing their noses. There was an awkward silence until Yukimura began laughing. Sanada stared into the ground, his face and neck burning with embarrassment.

"Let's try again," Yukimura said, "but this time, don't move."

Sanada nodded and closed his eyes, awaiting Yukimura's lips. Yukimura took a deep breath, closing his eyes. He cupped Sanada's face gently and pressed their lips together. They stayed in that position for a few moments before parting. Opening their eyes, they grinned in unison.

"Can I kiss you again?" Sanada asked timidly, hoping his face was not as red as it felt. Yukimura nodded shyly and closed his eyes.

Their lips met again. Yukimura's pliant lips were even softer this time, moulding themselves around Sanada's. Neither of them tried tonguing or any of the _techniques_ their sempai-tachi talked about, but it was already good enough. After all, first kisses were not meant to be perfect, and they still had a long time to practice.

Yukimura opened his eyes and looked at Sanada affectionately, his lips curling slowly into a smile.

"Ready for the new year, Sanada-fukubuchou?"

"Always, Yukimura-buchou."

* * *

The regular tryouts were held in the afternoon of the first day.

When Yukimura arrived at the courts, Sanada and Yanagi were already there, stretching while waiting. "How did you two get out of class so quickly?" Yukimura asked as they accompanied him into the change room.

"Genichirou jumped out of the third floor window," Yanagi said, "stairs are too time-consuming for him."

"I didn't!" Sanada said, his face red with – as far as Yukimura could tell – embarrassment. Yukimura wondered if Sanada actually jumped from the third floor; Sanada looked like the type to survive under abnormal circumstances anyway.

Yukimura grinned, "Are we ready?"

"Of course," a small smile lit Yanagi's face.

"Always," Sanada replied, his lips set in a hard line.

Yukimura nodded and draped his jersey around his shoulders, Sanada tugged his cap down and Yanagi's smile widened.

* * *

Yukimura looked at the score sheet. The results were expected, with the Sannin Bakemono dominating their respective groups. The rest of the team was expected to be composed of third years, but in Group D, annihilating all his opponents with 6-0 matches, was a first year.

His name was: Kirihara Akaya.

Yukimura passed the score sheet to Sanada and Yanagi. They too, felt the shock when they saw the scores beside Kirihara's name. "Shall I challenge him?" Yukimura asked, wiping his forehead with a towel.

"I want to play him," Sanada said, tightening his grip on his racquet.

"Me too," Yanagi chuckled. "Let's play him tomorrow."

But before they could even walk off the court, a voice interrupted them. "Excuse me," the tone arrogant, "Yukimura-buchou, can I have a match with you?" The three of them turned around. A small first-year kid, with a mop of seaweed-like hair, stood in front of them, grinning antagonistically.

"Kirihara Akaya," Yukimura said, a monstrous aura radiating as his lips curled into a slightly malicious smile.

"Buchou," Kirihara's grin widened, "don't be scared. I'll go easy on you. I promise."

Sanada growled and Yanagi chuckled, but Yukimura was indifferent, bending down to be at Kirihara's eyelevel. "My dear little kouhai, please don't go easy on me," Yukimura laughed, "I can't feel the pleasure of seeing my opponent writhing on the floor if I knew he went easy on me."

Kirihara's eyes narrowed, "I'll beat you." Then, taking a deep breath, he shouted, "I'll beat the three of you!"

Yukimura nodded, his smile now a smirk. "If you beat the three of us, you can be buchou. I promise."

* * *

"Damn it!" Kirihara screamed, "I'm definitely going to beat the three of you!"

All the spectators who had gathered to watch the matches were silenced. They all shared the same thought: How could this junior _ever_ beat the Sannin Bakemono? They watched in amusement, mocking the first-year in hushed voices.

"I will be Number One!" Kirihara shouted at the top of his lungs.

The onlookers were shocked. Did he not understand the power of those three?

But Yukimura thought differently; there was potential and determination in this little brat. "What an interesting new member…" Yukimura grinned to himself as Kirihara stomped his feet and waved his arms in air like a madman.

"Is he joking?" Sanada said quietly. _He's going to need another hundred years before he can beat us!_

Watching Yanagi's secretive little smile and Sanada's irritated expression, Yukimura simply shook his head and let out a hopeless laugh. He wondered how Sanada was going to cope with that little brat on the team.

* * *

Yukimura sprawled across Sanada's futon, gazing contentedly as his fukubuchou entered the room after a shower. "Today was great, wasn't it?" Yukimura asked cheerfully as Sanada took off his bathrobe.

"Yes," Sanada said and sighed, "but can you please not stare when I'm changing?"

"Why?" Yukimura asked, pouting. "I see you in the showers everyday."

"But that's different. That's unintentional. This is intentional." Sanada pulled on his pyjama pants. "This is _perving_."

Yukimura smacked his lips together and began whistling the national anthem. Sanada rolled his eyes and began buttoning his shirt. "Don't roll your eyes at me," Yukimura said, interrupting the tune for a brief moment before continuing on. Sanada sighed and sat on the floor beside Yukimura.

When Yukimura finally finished whistling the out-of-tune anthem, Sanada asked, "Can you please lie on _your_ futon?"

"Is this any way to treat a guest?"

"Fine, I'll sleep on yours then."

"NO!"

"Then where am I supposed to sleep?" Sanada rolled his eyes again.

Yukimura patted on the spot beside him and grinned. "You can share with me."

"Baka. There's a reason why there's _two_ futons."

Yukimura pouted and began slapping Sanada's shoulder, pretending to be upset. The individual slaps did not hurt, but the pain built up gradually. Sanada was sure that there was going to be a bruise tomorrow; perhaps Yukimura was trying to disable him, so he could have an excuse to give him laps for weak racquet swings. Yukimura comprehended Sanada's silence as a lack of response and pinched his cheeks. A surge of stubbornness hit him and Sanada decided that he would not give in to Yukimura's request no matter how much pain he was in.

Unable to have his way, Yukimura stomped out of the room. Sanada shook his head; sometimes Yukimura was such a child.

A few minutes later, Yukimura came back into the room, a wide grin hanging off his lips. Sanada felt a little unsettled by Yukimura's apparent elation. He was a mouse cornered by a prowling cat. Yukimura's eyes gleamed brightly and in one fluid movement, he pinned Sanada on the floor. "Baka," Yukimura sang, "there's no way you can beat me!" He sat on Sanada's stomach, his legs on either side sandwiching Sanada's body. He leaned in and whispered, "You shouldn't try and disobey your buchou's command."

If it wasn't for Yukimura's sudden kiss, Sanada would have flipped Yukimura over. Their lips pressed against each other's and Yukimura gradually spread his body out on top of Sanada's, running his slender fingers through his fukubuchou's wet hair.

"Why the sudden change of mood?" Sanada asked when they parted.

Yukimura chuckled and laid his head on Sanada's chest. "Ah…" he said, snuggling in Sanada's cuddle. "Your brother is a great person."

"Nii-san?!" Sanada asked, but Yukimura did not respond, his body lying on Sanada's like a beached whale. "Seiichi! What about nii-san?!"

Yukimura shut his eyes tightly and let out a little – intentional – snore. Sanada sighed and closed his eyes. "Good night," he muttered. As Sanada's breathing slowed and steadied, Yukimura rolled off Sanada and into his own futon. Then, after kissing Sanada lightly on the cheek, he slipped his hand into Sanada's and closed his eyes.

"Good night, baka."

* * *

As the new captain, Yukimura had wanted to flaunt his power, especially to the sempai-tachi who talked behind his back when he was selected as captain. He hated those who talked behind people's back – _avec tout son cœur_. He had the week's regimen planned and since Rikkai did not have a coach, he had the chance to scream at slackers as much as he wanted to.

But it was impossible now.

That morning, he had been awakened by his phone alarm at 6:00a.m. as usual. When he realised that Sanada was not in his futon, he left the room in search of his fukubuchou. They must not be late; their first official practice started at 7:00a.m. and as buchou and fukubuchou, they needed to be there early to ensure everything ran smoothly. Yukimura found Sanada in the dojo, packing up his sword. "Good morning," Sanada said, smiling slightly.

Yukimura grinned and licked his lips. _Genichirou wearing a hakama is sexy_, he thought and hugged Sanada.

"Good morning," Yukimura said. And was shocked by his hoarse voice.

It was distorted. Croaky like a frog's.

* * *

For the rest of the month, Yukimura avoided speaking and left _punishment duties_ to Sanada. But there were times when Sanada could barely control the team (especially Kirihara) and seeing him on the verge of crying, Yukimura would always smile encouragingly before pulling the troublemakers off the courts for a _talk._

Sanada had no idea what Yukimura said to them, but whatever it was, it was definitely effective – no one would dare to disobey orders for the rest of the week. He admired Yukimura's power and wished he could do the same. And not only did Yukimura have control over first and second years, but also their sempai-tachi. Unlike their disapproving attitude towards Sanada, they treated Yukimura with the utmost respect and admiration.

"20 laps for warm-up!" Sanada shouted when most of the club members arrived. Everyone – including Yukimura – began the laps immediately, except for a few third years who were talking to members from the baseball club. "Sempai, practice has started," Sanada walked up to the group of third years.

"Don't interrupt us, brat!" One of the baseball club member shoved Sanada away.

"Sorry, but please leave the court if you're not in the tennis club," Sanada said bravely, "practice has started."

"Don't tell us what to do!" Another grabbed Sanada's collars and lifted him up.

"Please leave," Sanada repeated, his words loud and firm despite his fears.

"You're too stubborn!" One of them pulled his fist back and Sanada winced, anticipating the pain.

"Is anything the matter?" Yukimura voice suddenly sounded and Sanada was dropped to the ground. Opening his eyes, he saw Yukimura standing in front of him, smiling calmly in spite of the murderous aura his body exuded. Those from the baseball club cast Sanada a hostile glance before walking off and those from the tennis club quickly ran off to begin their laps. When all of them were out of hearing distance, Yukimura pulled Sanada from the ground and brushed the dirt off his shirt. "Don't do that again. I've heard rumours about some of the people from the baseball club. Anyway, are you hurt?"

"No."

* * *

When the afternoon session finished, Sanada rushed off to buy new grip tape – practising "Ka" wore it away quicker than usual. Hopefully, when he perfected FuuRinKaInZanRai, he would be able to hold his racquet tighter and would not need to change grip tape so often.

The sun had set – the sky the colour between sapphire and black – when he began walking home. He inspected the grip tape he bought happily. After much deliberation, he chose the one that Yukimura was currently using; it was the best after all.

"OI!" Sanada's attention was occupied by his new tape and was not aware of his surroundings until he bumped into someone. "Watch where you're going!" A pair of hands seized Sanada's collars and lifted him into the air. Sanada looked up. It was his sempai-tachi from the baseball club who had almost punched him this morning.

There were five of them. And they all grinned menacingly when they recognised Sanada.

"Sorry," Sanada said, trying to wiggle himself free.

"Sorry's not enough," his sempai – whom Sanada identified as Igarashi – hissed. "Kneel on the ground and apologise properly."

Sanada shook his head. There was no way he was going to compromise his pride and degrade himself into a coward.

"I'll give you another chance." Igarashi said and Sanada could smell cigarettes.

"Sempai, you can't smoke. You're underage." Sanada said, hoping his voice was not trembling with the terror he was feeling. "You're not allowed to drink either," he added bravely, looking at the cans his sempai-tachi were holding.

Igarashi pulled his fist back. "Stop," a chilling voice stopped the punch in mid-air. "Move back," the voice commanded and Igarashi released his grip. Smoking a cigarette, a boy with bleached white hair and multiple piercing walked up to Sanada and pulled him up from the ground.

"Kurowa-sempai..." Sanada stammered as a pair of fierce eyes met his.

"Kouhai-tachi should _never_ disobey their sempai-tachi. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!" Kurowa shouted and grabbed Sanada by the hair, shaking him violently as if he was a string puppet. When Sanada gave no answer, Kurowa punched him in the face, smashing him onto the ground. Sanada crawled up and wiped the blood from his cracked lips. "Take him with us," Kurowa said and without warning, two of them propped him up by the arm, dragging him along.

They stopped when they arrived at a park, which was deserted at this late time. When they released him, Sanada tried to run, but two of them held him back, gripping his arms tightly as Kurowa struck him again and again. When he was finally dropped to the ground, Sanada tried to crawl away, but a powerful kick to the stomach smashed him against the wall, unable to move anymore.

"Don't try to escape," Kurowa growled and took out his baseball bat.

Sanada covered his head with his hands and curled into a ball, sputtering blood when the bat struck his back. He was dragged onto the slide, before more fists landed on him with loud thumps. With every belt, Sanada could taste more and more blood. The pain was unbearable; it felt as if all his bones were broken, his tendons ripped and his organs punctured.

When the violent beating had finally ended, Sanada could no longer see. The world in front of him was pitch black. Every inch of his body was tortured, bruised and bleeding.

A cruel voice whispered beside his ear, "Don't cross paths with us ever again." A burning pain stung his cheek suddenly, the smell of cigarette overwhelming his senses. He was smouldered – engulfed – by the sharp pain. He could feel his flesh burning until the cigarette went out. But even then, the flaming pain did not stop.

One last kick to the stomach and Sanada slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

Sanada woke up surrounded by white. His eyes wandered around the room and identified his location as the hospital. _What happened?_

His mother beside him – asleep – with her head rested on the bed. When Sanada sat up, her eyes sprung open. "Gen-chan?" She looked at him with great concern. "Are you okay? Does it still hurt? Do you need anything?"

"I'm fine," Sanada grunted and winced when he touched his bruised lips. "What happened?"

"Seiichi-kun found you in the park," his mother said, stroking his hand, "luckily there are no broken bones."

"Yukimura?" Sanada said just as the door slid open. Yukimura was there, his expression clouded with worry and anxiousness. "Yukimura..."

Sanada's mother retreated out of the room, leaving the two alone. Yukimura sat on the chair where Sanada's mother originally sat. He did not speak, simply looking at Sanada with red-rimmed eyes. Sanada sighed and stared at the ceiling. A warm hand slid under the blanket and held his. Sanada turned to look at Yukimura and saw teardrops rolling down his cheeks silently.

"Don't cry," Sanada muttered, barely able to speak because of the pain. "Don't be upset, Seiichi."

At the sound of his name, Yukimura cried harder, burying his head in the blankets. Sanada lifted his hand and stroked Yukimura's hair, comforting both Yukimura and himself. It was assuring to _feel_ Yukimura; when he was assaulted cruelly by his sempai-tachi, he almost felt as if he was going to be separated from Yukimura forever. It was comforting to know that he did not die. And that Yukimura was still there beside him.

_After such an event, they would surely be together forever..._

_

* * *

_Sanada returned to the courts just before the Kantou finals, but he was not allowed to play, placed instead as a substitute. He knew he was fully recovered, and he knew Yukimura knew as well. But he did not argue, because one, he did not have a choice and two, he understood Yukimura's concern.

Yukimura had faced Atobe in Singles 1 – the clash between the captains. Sanada was sure that Yukimura would win. And he was right. In 24 minutes, Yukimura annihilated Atobe in a game of 6-2.

It was another step closer towards their dream of three consecutive Nationals titles.

* * *

For the next month, Sanada did nothing but training. Despite his hard work, however, he could not help but feel extremely nervous when he stepped onto the court, facing the Shitenhouji team.

"Losses are not accepted," Yukimura said when the team returned to the side-benches. "Sanada, take Singles 3 quickly, and let us ride the momentum to victory!"

Sanada nodded, tightening the grip on his racquet. He understood that this match held the key to Rikkai's victory because it determined the flow of the following matches. He was grateful to Yukimura for entrusting him with such an important match. He knew he must not lose.

For the sake of Rikkai, himself and above all – Yukimura.

* * *

Yukimura jumped and smashed the lob. The ball landed just inside the court, winning the point and the match. With Singles 3, Doubles 2 and Singles 2 taken, Rikkai had become the champions once again.

The win was flawless. Perfect. One step closer to their dream.

* * *

The day began with an overcast sky, thunder rumbling despite no rain. Sanada woke to his 4:00 a.m. alarm as usual, but stayed in bed when he remembered that tennis practice was off today; the seniors were busy with mock exams and most of the first years were off on excursions.

Yukimura was beside him, snuggled up in his arms, still sleeping peacefully. Sanada watched and admired Yukimura's sleeping face. It was so charming. He raised a hand and ran his fingers through Yukimura's silky hair.

"It's time to wake up," Sanada said when the clock struck seven. Yukimura turned over and continued to sleep. Sanada sighed and shook Yukimura's shoulders lightly, but was smacked in the face instead. "Seiichi!"

"Shut up..." Yukimura mumbled, pulling the blanket over his head. "It's Sunday..."

Sanada went under the blankets as well. He put his hands to Yukimura's waist and began tickling him. Yukimura yelped and fell off the bed. He rubbed his head before falling asleep on the floor. Sanada rolled his eyes; sometimes Yukimura was simply helpless.

Sanada picked Yukimura up bridal style and placed him back onto the bed. Yesterday's finals must have drained him both physically and mentally. He kissed the back of Yukimura's neck softly and licked his jaw.

"Are you a dog?!" Yukimura finally woke up, scowling as he whacked Sanada with the pillow. Sanada simply smiled and hugged Yukimura, which seemed to subdue his anger quite a bit. "Why did you wake me up?" Yukimura grumbled, scratching his head as he yawned. Sanada had no idea why, so he stayed silent and watched Yukimura. "What are you looking at, baka?!" Yukimura's temper was horrible in the morning, especially when the previous day was so tiring.

"Sorry," Sanada finally said, "go back to sleep then."

"No." Yukimura pouted. He sat in between Sanada's legs, placing Sanada's arms around his waist. "I'll just sit here. You can be my seat."

"There's a chair over there," Sanada pointed out, but nevertheless rested his chin on Yukimura's shoulder and hugged him tighter.

"Humph." Yukimura twisted his head around and kissed Sanada. Then, taking Sanada's thumb, he wrapped his mouth around it and began sucking it. Yukimura's breath was warm and moist and Sanada blushed. His body was hot. He was getting harder and harder as he watched Yukimura pulling his thumb in and out of his mouth. Sanada closed his eyes, biting his lips.

"It's hard and it's sticking into me." Yukimura suddenly stopped, turning around to look at Sanada. Then seeing the pained expression, he asked, "What's wrong?"

"Sorry," Sanada pulled his hips away, looking away.

Yukimura flipped over and lay on top of Sanada. "Did I do something wrong?" He asked concernedly. Sanada shook his head, trying to ignore his erection. But it proved to be hard when Yukimura lay on top of him, rubbing their bodies together. Sanada cursed the thin fabric of their pyjamas. He could practically feel _everything_.

"I'm taking a shower," Sanada said, pushing Yukimura off him before racing to the bathroom.

When he returned, Yukimura and his brother were sitting on the floor talking. "Gen-chan," his brother grinned.

"Get out!" Sanada flung his slipper at his brother.

"Is this any way to treat your _nii-sama_?" His brother laughed, catching the slipper effortlessly. "It seems that you have forgotten that I'm the catcher of the high school baseball team."

"Why are you in here?!" Sanada shouted.

"I was just talking to Sei-chan."

"It's Yukimura, not Sei-chan!"

His brother shrugged and walked out of the room. Then, as if he remembered something, he turned around. "Gen-chan, the condoms are in the second drawer," he said before shutting the door. "Don't be too rough with Sei-chan!" He shouted as he went downstairs, laughing uncontrollably.

"Sorry about my brother," Sanada said, checking the second drawer.

"He's quite a nice brother," Yukimura commented lightly.

Sanada did not reply. He had found the condoms. Staring at the packages, he was surprised to see so many different types: Strawberry flavoured, chocolate flavoured, extra-sensitivity, no-allergy, spermicide-lubricated...

_What was nii-san thinking?_ Sanada thought, not knowing what he should be feeling._ Yukimura and I weren't going to..._

"Genichirou," Yukimura interrupted his train of thought, "let's try the chocolate flavoured one."

Sanada froze as Yukimura took the chocolate-flavoured condom from his hand. He ripped opened the package and smelt it. Then, shrugging, he passed it to Sanada. "It doesn't smell like chocolate," Yukimura said. "Do you think the strawberry-flavoured one would smell like strawberry?"

"I don't know!" Sanada said, his face as red as Yukimura's red Yonex.

Yukimura chuckled and switched topics. "Anyway, are you going on the overseas study trip?" Sanada shrugged. He was not entirely sure if he wanted to go to China. After all, all he could say in Chinese was "ni hao". Which would be _so_ useful if he had gotten lost. "I'm going," Yukimura said. "You should come too."

"I'll ask my parents," Sanada said. Maybe he could sit next to Yukimura on the plane and share a bunk bed at the hotel.

* * *

Autumn arrived quicker than Sanada had expected. He was at the airport, with another forty or so students, waiting to board the plane. But Yukimura was not there. Two days before the trip, he had fallen down the stairs. It was not anything serious, no broken bones or even strained muscles, but he decided to stay in Japan anyway. "Sorry," he had said, "remember to send me a postcard."

Yanagi sat next to Sanada on the plane. They did not talk; Yanagi was reading a "learn-Chinese" book while Sanada was refraining from screaming at Kirihara, who was sitting behind him. The first year brat was constantly kicking his seat, complaining loudly that he was bored. He even spilled water over Sanada's head when he was testing whether his bottle lid was screwed on properly or not. Apparently not. Sanada had the mind to rip that mop of seaweed-like hair off his head.

They had dim-sims and pork buns for a late lunch when they arrived. Tiananmen Square was the first attraction they visited, followed by a guided tour through the Forbidden City. Sanada did not take much notice when the guide explained the celestial references embedded in the architectures. His head hurt from breathing the smoggy air. He looked around, but no one seemed to have the same problem as him. Kirihara and Niou were playing tag and Yanagi was fully absorbed in the tour.

Sanada was glad when they returned to the hotel. But to his dismay, besides than Yanagi, Niou and Kirihara were his room mates as well. When the two noise-makers finally sneaked out of the room after midnight (to buy snacks), Sanada grasped the chance to call Yukimura. As the phone rang, he wondered if Yukimura would still be awake, since it was already past 1 at night.

"GENICHIROU!" As soon as the phone connected, Yukimura's voice blasted through. Sanada held the phone as far from himself as possible. When Yukimura seemed to have finished shouting, Sanada placed the phone beside his ear again. "Why did you call me so late?! I've been waiting for you call since eight!"

"Sorry," Sanada said, "Niou and Akaya were too noisy. And I didn't want them to hear our conversation."

Yukimura chuckled on the other side of the line. "_What_ are we going to talk about that you don't want them to hear?"

Sanada grinned to himself. "I don't know."

"Tell me about your day," Yukimura said, sounding happy.

Sanada recounted his day briefly with Yukimura going "ah" and "oh" occasionally. "What about yours?"

"I'm in hospital." Yukimura's voice was suddenly sobered and dark.

"Why?" Sanada almost dropped the phone.

"They want to see why I fell off the stairs," Yukimura sounded gloomy, but after a moment of silence, he brightened up again. "I'll be released tomorrow anyway. Have fun! I'll be waiting for my souvenir!"

"Good night."

"Good night. I love you."

"I love you too." Sanada said and hung up, falling back onto his bed, grinning uncontrollably.

"Who was that?" Sanada turned around. Niou was there, staring and grinning. "Your girlfriend?" He laughed and climbed onto his bed. Sanada ignored him and stared at his phone. The wallpaper was a photo of Yukimura serving. Sanada kissed the screen and closed his eyes.

There was less smog the next morning and the day broke with a brilliant sunrise. They climbed the Great Wall after breakfast. Sanada wished Yukimura was there. The trip would have been much more enjoyable. Yanagi asked a sempai to take a photo for the two of them. For Seiichi, he had said. Sanada agreed finally, crossing his arms and staring at the camera blankly while Yanagi smiled and flashed a V.

They stayed in Shanghai for the remaining of the trip. Sanada bought a book of photos of landmarks in China for Yukimura. He was not sure if Yukimura would like it, but Yanagi said he would.

The plane trip back home was absolutely horrible. Niou sat next to him (for no apparent reason other than to annoy Sanada). He stole Sanada's juice and mixed it with the complementary biscuits before spilling it all over Sanada's lap. He kept moving in and out to ask the flight attendants for freebies. He switched the lights on and off. But Sanada said nothing. He felt air-sick, but he did not have the vomit bag. Niou had blown it up and popped it.

When they touched down, the first thing Sanada did was check his phone. There was only one text message from Yukimura.

_Welcome home._

Sanada smiled. Indeed, there was nothing better than home.

* * *

"Are you going?" Yukimura asked, waving the invitation for the Junior Senbatsu Training Camp in the air.

"Yes," Sanada answered without hesitation. Tezuka and Atobe were going as well. "Are you?"

"Of course!" Yukimura said and turned to Yanagi, who nodded as well. "It's going to be so fun, a whole week of tennis!"

But for Sanada, it turned out instead to be a whole week without Yukimura. Tezuka did not go either and Sengoku Kiyosumi was invited instead. Atobe was as arrogant as usual, annoying Sanada with his "ore-sama". Sanada wished he did not go. Moreover, he wished Yukimura could have come. Yukimura had changed his mind the week before the camp. He said that his knees kept wobbling and his body was shaky, unable to perform its best recently.

_It's just fatigue_, he had said.

But one month later, Yukimura collapsed.

* * *

It had struck out of nowhere.

It was the day when the team for next year had been selected. The team was the best possible, all-rounded and balanced. From volleyers to defenders, everyone was at Nationals level.

They were at the train station, arguing whether to have ramen or yakiniku for dinner.

Ramen is better, Kirihara said. Niou called him cheap and Kirihara whacked him in the face with the scarf. The team laughed as Niou whacked Kirihara back.

The two chased around, hiding behind the other regulars. Sanada frowned and told them to stop. They did not stop and instead, whacked their fukubuchou accidentally with the scarf. Sanada darkened, but continued walking. The team grinned and chased after him and Yukimura.

A mechanical voice said: Please stand back.

The train was arriving.

Yukimura ran onto the platform, waving, telling everyone to hurry.

The next moment... _he was on the ground_.

The train arrived.

* * *

"We'll wait for your return undefeated!" Sanada shouted, although at the time, he did not know that Yukimura's battle against his illness was going to be very long indeed.

The team sat outside the surgery room and soon, Yukimura's parents arrived. They thanked the regulars, but for what, Sanada did not understand. All they could do was call for help and dial 119. Even now, the overwhelming hopelessness he felt nauseated him. He could remember shouting, only for his call for help to be covered by rumbling of the train. No one could hear him for a few seconds.

Those seconds were the longest of his life.

He did not know what had happened to Yukimura. He did not know if Yukimura was breathing. Yukimura's face was drenched with cold sweat. Yukimura's hand was cold. Yukimura's body was hard and unresponsive. Was Yukimura dying? Was he... dead?

Shortly after midnight, a doctor finally came out of the operation room.

"He will live." Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. "But we suspect Yukimura-kun may have Guillain-Barré Syndrome. But since it is discovered in its early stages, he will survive and probably almost completely recover. However, permanent damage is also possible."

"What will happen?" Yukimura's father asked, his arm around his wife's shoulder.

"He might have problems with sensation and coordination, including some cases of severe disability. And even if he is lucky and could recover, there is a 1 in 10 chance of experiencing a relapse because Guillain-Barré Syndrome cannot be cured."

"What do you mean cannot be cured?!" Kirihara grabbed the doctor's collar, his eyes red and teary. Yanagi and Yagyuu restrained him. "Fix him! FIX MY BUCHOU!" Kirihara cried, trying to break away. "PLEASE! FIX YUKIMURA-BUCHOU!" He broke out of his restraint and dropped to the ground, pounding the floor as tears streamed down his face.

"You mean," Sanada asked, his voice oddly calm, "Yukimura will never be able to play tennis again."

"Yes."

Sanada nodded. He turned around and ran out of the hospital. He did not want anyone to see the tears rolling down his cheeks.

* * *

The next day, the team visited Yukimura in the hospital. His face was paler than a ghost's and it seemed as if he lost 10kg in one single night. Nevertheless, he was happy when he saw his team, giving them a weary smile as they entered the room.

"Buchou!" Kirihara ran to the bed, kneeling down beside Yukimura. "Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine," Yukimura said, but obviously lying. The purple tinge of his lips and the dark rings under his eyes made it clear how close to death he was. A bandage was wound around his head for the injury he obtained when he fell onto the ground. He looked nothing like he did 24 hours ago. He had been healthy. He had been at the top of Japan's junior tennis world. But now, he was in hospital, half a step away from death.

No one spoke. They all stood in silence, relieved that Yukimura was still alive and praying that he will one day recover. Finally, the nurse chased everyone out after visiting hours ended. Yukimura watched them go, wondering if he would live to see them again. His heart was so weak. Every time he watched the heartbeat rate monitor, he was afraid of seeing a flat line and hearing that _beeeeeep_.

"Yukimura..." At the call of his name, he looked up. Sanada was at the door. He entered and sat down on the chair beside the bed. "Don't give up..."

Yukimura smiled weakly. "Baka, who said I was giving up?" He said. He wanted to say more, to comfort Sanada, but he simply lacked strength to do so.

Sanada nodded and clasped his hands around Yukimura's small, cold hand. "I will always be with you," he said with a teary smile. He pressed someone small against Yukimura's palm before closing Yukimura's fingers around it. Sanada kissed Yukimura's cheek lightly and left the room quietly.

Yukimura opened his palm. A small crane sat there, wrinkled and badly folded.

It was azure. The colour of the sky that was beyond his reach.

* * *

After two weeks in hospital, the doctors diagnosed Yukimura's illness as something else. It was a relief, to hear that it was not Guillain-Barré Syndrome. However, even though this illness could be cured, it needed a surgery. And even _if_ it was cured, disabilities could still occur. Tennis, it seemed, was still impossible.

For his family, his friends and Sanada, it was almost a miracle. But for Yukimura, it was worse than death. Living a life without tennis was meaningless and empty. And the surgery might fail as well. He did not want to hope. He did not want to believe. Because he was scared of disappointment. Of death.

If the surgery went ahead someday, that day would either be the day he was cured... or his death anniversary.

He was released from hospital just after New Year's Day. He remembered crying because he could not see the fireworks. Normally, he did not _care_ to see the fancy celebration, but not having the choice to choose, he realised the value of the small things in life. But it was too late.

After his release, he stayed at home every day. He went to school twice a week to get his homework and to watch his team practise. Tennis was not something he enjoyed watching anymore, but he felt obliged to supervise anyway. Being captain was, perhaps, a privilege he would soon lose.

Going to school usually made him feel better, although sometimes the once-admiring, now-pitiful glances were too much to handle. He just wanted to be normal once more.

Sitting in his bed, playing with the crane Sanada gave him, he stared at the feathery dream-catcher hanging from the ceiling. If only nightmares in reality could be trapped as well.

There was a knock on his door. "Come in," Yukimura said, just loud enough for the person to hear. Sanada entered. Yukimura smiled. He always felt better whenever he saw Sanada. "You came to see me," Yukimura noted, stating the obvious as if he wanted to confirm it. Sanada nodded and sat on the edge of Yukimura's bed.

Yukimura sat up and hooked his arms around Sanada's neck. He kissed Sanada, who immediately pushed him away gently. "Why?" Yukimura asked, clearly upset.

"I don't think we should do this until you've recovered."

"What if I never do?"

"Don't say that. Please."

Yukimura scoffed. "What did you want to tell me?"

Sanada took a deep breath. "You got dropped to 3-C."

Yukimura was silent for a moment. Then, he laughed. It was bitter and full of sadness. "It doesn't matter, does it?"

Sanada looked at Yukimura. His response was calmer than expected. 3-C was, in perspective, not bad at all considering that Yukimura had missed out on all the yearly examinations. "And..." Sanada paused, wondering if Yukimura would be happy or angry with this, "you will continue to be our captain."

A silent slid down Yukimura's cheek.

"Why does anything matter anymore?" he said, "I'm going to die anyway."

* * *

**Please review!** I put a lot of effort into this chapter!!!

Warning: The M-rated stuff starts next chapter.


	3. Agitato

**A Prince of Tennis fanfic.  
SanaYuki pairing a.k.a. alpha pair  
**

**Story:** Love Symphony - Chapter.3

**Rating:** M (WARNING: SERIOUS LEMON)

**Disclaimer:** Prince of Tennis belongs to Konomi Takeshi.

**Author's note:** I love the last part. Anyway, please review, but I would appreciate it if there's nothing along the lines of "you can't write smut" or "you're getting it all wrong". If there is any, I apologise for the inaccuracies. Btw, it's not PWP, it actually plays a bigger part later in the story. I have warned you. Please do not read it if you don't like it, I don't like getting flamed. But thank you to those lovely people who give wonderful, motivational reviews. Thank you very much.

**Note: **Omamori is a charm.

**Please review**.

**

* * *

3. Agitato**

Sanada visited Yukimura every day.

For Yukimura's sake, he always wore a smile. Truthfully, however, his chest seized in a disabling pain every time he saw those dead, hollow eyes. On July 17th, two weeks before the Kantou Finals, Yukimura was finally hospitalised. There was, however, not much difference between visiting Yukimura at his house or at the hospital. The worn-out smile on Yukimura's face was still the same. And as always, it stabbed Sanada's heart.

He visited Yukimura with his team at the hospital. "We'll bring you the trophy," Sanada said.

The corners of Yukimura's lips lifted, but the smile soon waned.

There was a metallic clang when Kirihara kicked the fence. "Without Yukimura-buchou, there'll be a blind spot..."

"Don't let it overwhelm you..." Yukimura cut him off. But he did not finish the sentence. He looked down at his hands. The team silenced. Everyone avoided each other's eyes. They all shared the same thought that Kirihara voiced.

"Yukimura," Sanada finally said, "we'll bring you the trophy."

To keep his promise, Sanada pushed the team harder. He issued fifty laps every morning and afternoon practice. When they were too slack, he gave them racquet swings, squats, sit-ups and push-ups. Sanada did the regimen as well, but no matter how drenched he was in sweat, the dreadful emptiness in his heart would not go away. He tried doubling and even tripling his own training, but Yukimura could not be wiped from his mind.

At home, he tried to meditate, but the usually calming pose irritated him. He could not concentrate. Sleep was impossible and so, he spent the nights designing regimens for each individual on the team. When he finished that, he made his lunch for the next day. After that, he cooked breakfast. The little tasks were proven to be of distractions to certain extents. He was able to forget Yukimura; until he turned on the radio, tuned it to the classical music frequency and heard Brahms' fourth symphony. _Passion_ was the word Yukimura used to describe it.

As Sanada listened on, he realised that perhaps Yukimura had felt a connection with this magnum opus. The lush romance and swelling emotion were dramatic, similar to Yukimura's own personality. The second movement, with its requiem-like air, reminded Sanada of Yukimura's grave illness. The music intensified and he balled his fists, tortured by images of Yukimura's sickly, pale face. It sounded like a premonition of death. He switched the radio off and turned on the television instead. A shampoo ad was on.

He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. He did not know that this requiem-like movement was followed by a joyous, exuberant third movement.

* * *

Sanada handed Yukimura a box of takoyaki. Yukimura looked at him in surprise. "Thanks for going out of your way to get this," Yukimura said. "You know, you didn't have to. I only mentioned it briefly."

"I passed the shop coincidentally..." Sanada pulled his cap down, hiding the darkening blush of his cheeks.

"I would believe you if the shop wasn't all the way in Tokyo." Yukimura grinned and plopped a takoyaki into his mouth.

"It was a coincidence," Sanada insisted. His face was burning up.

"Okay, okay." Yukimura said and continued to eat the takoyaki. Sanada watched Yukimura munch on the snack contently. His heart warmed. Yukimura's pallid cheeks seemed to have regained a bit of colour. "How's tennis?" Yukimura asked when he finished.

Sanada knew that this time, the question was not out of obligation. "We haven't dropped a game yet," he reported.

Yukimura nodded approvingly. "Well, it's just the beginning. Don't drop your guard."

"You sound like Tezuka."

"On that note," Yukimura's smile disappeared, and his tone darkened, "be careful of Seigaku. They might beat Hyoutei and advance to the Finals." Sanada nodded. He had no doubt in Yukimura's judgement.

"I will never lose."

Yukimura did not reply, his hazel orbs brighter than usual. Sanada wondered if the glimmer in his eyes was uncertainty. Suddenly, Yukimura stood up and walked to the window, looking out. "Sanada, would you gamble on your life?"

"Depends."

Yukimura fell silent. Then, he took a deep breath and said, "I am going to."

Sanada grabbed him by the shoulders and spun him around until they were facing each other. "What do you mean?"

"I want to undergo the surgery that might cure this illness." A delighted smile lit Sanada's face, but it was soon dimmed by Yukimura's grave expression. "But the rate of success is only 50%. I might _die_ if it fails. Do you understand?"

Sanada could not speak for a moment. "Will you die if you don't undergo the surgery?"

"No."

Sanada took a deep breath then circled his arms around Yukimura, holding him tightly. "Then please don't undergo the surgery. Please. Your life is more important than anything else."

Yukimura pushed him away. "You're wrong."

Sanada shook his head. "Tennis is insignificant compared to your life. I will not allow you to do something so rash! You could _die_! How could I live if you're not with me?!" Realising what he had said, he took a step back and looked away. Yukimura's hand touched Sanada's cheek gently. Sanada looked into the hazel orbs again. "Why?" His voice was broken.

"Tennis is not the reason I'm undergoing this surgery," Yukimura said softly, a sad smile barely lifting the corners of his mouth. "You are."

Sanada went home, his chest heavy with the sense of commitment. He slashed his sword at the straw doll, swift like the wind. The top half fell onto the tatami mats. Sanada took a step forward. The straw stuck to his socks. "Yukimura, I'll win." The halved doll did not reply.

* * *

The ring of the large, bronze bell reverberated through the temple. Sanada clapped his hands thrice and closed his eyes. After a few moments of complete silence, he opened his eyes and put the omamori in his pockets. He had never believed in the supernatural, but this time and perhaps just this once, he prayed that the charm would work.

"You're late, the team has already left," Yukimura stated when Sanada entered the room. Sanada did not speak, simply nodding in acknowledgement and apology. Yukimura slid off the bed and picked up the jacket on the chair and draped it over his shoulders. "Let's go," he said and Sanada suddenly realised that Yukimura was not wearing the usual patients' green uniform, but dressed rather in a plain T-shirt and white track pants.

To Sanada's surprise, they exited the hospital and continued until they reached the bank of a river a few kilometres away. "I have permission to come out," Yukimura said casually when he caught the uncertainty in Sanada's expression. "I need to ask you a question."

"What is it?"

"Will I go to heaven or hell?"

For a moment, Sanada's mind blanked. "Heaven, of course," he said finally. Yukimura parted his lips to speak, but Sanada did not allow him. "But you won't be going any time soon. So stop pondering and asking stupid questions like these."

Yukimura ignored Sanada's last sentence and spoke, his voice gentler and more affectionate than usual, "But without you, even heaven would be hell."

"Yes, my life cannot be whole without you," Sanada said, pulling Yukimura into an embrace despite being in a public area, "so please, stop thinking about death."

"I will, but promise me one thing."

Sanada released his grip. "I'll promise whatever you want me to."

"Tomorrow is the day of the Kantou Finals and my surgery..."

"I'll bring you the trophy."

"No. I mean, of course, bring me the trophy... but that's not what I want to say. Will you promise me that you'll be there before my surgery? I want to see you as they inject me with anaesthetic. I want to go into surgery knowing that you are outside, waiting for me." By the end of the sentences, Yukimura's voice was barely above a whisper, his face as red as the horizon behind him.

Sanada leaned in slightly and looked into Yukimura's eyes. "I will." Yukimura smiled and extended his hand. Sanada took it and they shook upon the promise.

The thought of losing Yukimura was unbearable. He was already too much like an angel, statuesque and graceful with a halo of gold cast onto his soft hair by the setting sun. _Will he really... become an angel_?

They walked back to the hospital without another word. Before he left, Sanada slipped Yukimura the woven omamori and another crane.

When Sanada disappeared around the corner, Yukimura extended his palm. He placed the omamori into his pocket for safe-keeping, hoping that – even though, like Sanada, he was a non-believer – it would prove its effectiveness. Sitting in the centre of his hand was the crane, the metallic paper radiating gold under the lights of dusk.

_Gold_, Yukimura mused, _for victory._

_

* * *

_More than an hour ago, Sanada had called to inform him of their certain victory. But now, there was still no sight of any of the regulars.

"Yukimura-kun," the nurse called out, "it's time." Yukimura bit his lip and stood up, removing his gaze from the entrance. Sanada had broken his promise.

Kilometres away from the hospital, the Rikkai regulars acknowledged the devastating sense of defeat, a feeling that many of them have not felt for years. The puny, little freshman had defeated the Emperor. Seigaku had defeated Ouja Rikkai. And worse... the team had missed Yukimura's surgery. They had failed their captain. They had failed their friend.

Nevertheless, the team rushed to the hospital immediately after the award ceremony. They waited outside the operation room. Minutes passed. They were told to leave, but they refused, moving to stand outside Yukimura's room instead. Hours passed and Yukimura was finally transported back into his room, unconscious under the effects of anaesthetics.

Yukimura's parents were allowed in, but to the team, the nurse said, "Another hour." The regulars slumped against the wall, none but overwhelming guilt coursing through their minds. _How could they ever face their buchou again?_ They had failed him the moment he needed them most.

Inside the room, the anaesthetics began to wear off. Yukimura lifted his eyelids a little, allowing his eyelashes to shield him from the bright fluorescent light. He watched his parents leave the room in relieved whispers. He wanted to call them back, but he lacked the strength to do so. With a great amount of effort, he flipped to his side. The calendar on his bedside table suddenly struck him as a reminder.

He wanted to see his team, but before he could summon the strength to life himself up, hushed voices drifted into his ears.

"This illness is devastating..."

"Yes, such a shame for him. Tennis would be impossible now..."

A wave of fury, disappointment and fear gripped Yukimura and his world came crashing down instantly.

The door swung open and Sanada was there. Yukimura's emotion-contorted face sobered into a cold stone. "During the Finals... Seigaku..." Sanada began, but a sudden flood of devastation eradicated the mental barriers he had erected to prevent angry outbursts.

"SHUT UP! Don't talk to me about tennis ever again!" The anger augmented Yukimura's strength and he slid off his bed, pushing Sanada towards the door. "Go away! GO HOME!" With a forceful shove, he drove Sanada out of the room before slamming the door. "DON'T COME BACK!"

Six pairs of eyes settled on Sanada as he stumbled out of the room, his face twisted with guilt, sorrow and confusion. He leaned against the wall and dropped his head, unable to move. Yukimura's extreme resentment was totally unforeseeable. Then, a sudden howl from the room pierced through the dreadful silence. It was a scream full of pain, resembling the sharp cry of a dying wolf.

"We're going back to school," Sanada said and turned to leave. The rest of the team followed him.

For the few hours before twilight, the team evaluated on the costly mistakes they made during that matches. When the assessment was complete, Sanada lined them up on the court. He received his punishment, but even Niou's powerful slap could not amend his disappointment. He felt almost like a traitor.

The empty feeling did not go away even when it was past midnight. He washed his face and the wounds stung sharply. He looked up into the mirror and was sickened by his own image. _Pathetic_, he thought. The red and purple bruises coloured his cheeks, angry and swollen. He did not know how he could go to school the next day without being questioned by teachers. But it did not matter right now. Atonement was more important... even though, no matter how many injuries he inflicted on himself, he knew he could not heal Yukimura's bitterness.

Sanada lay on his futon, every inch of his body scorching in pain, and cried until the break of dawn.

* * *

Yukimura sat up in his bed, waiting for his team's arrival as usual. But today, he was not so sure if they would come. After all, his behaviour towards them yesterday was appalling, without consideration for their feelings especially after the loss at Kantou.

He looked at the omamori Sanada gave him. It did bring him luck after all – he had survived.

The door slid open and Yukimura was quick to slide the omamori back into his pocket. The team walked in, their eyes avoiding his. Sanada was the last to enter. He shut the door behind him. Then, in union, the team bowed and said, "Buchou, we're sorry!"

Yukimura stared at them. They all looked as if they were awaiting punishment. Quietly, he said, "We'll just have to win the Nationals then."

Slowly, the team straightened. "Does that mean you'll forgive us?" Kirihara asked, his reddened eyes brimming with tears.

"Learn from your mistakes," Yukimura said and took out a piece of paper from his drawer. "I watched a video of the matches and made an evaluation. Although, I assume that Sanada and Yanagi would have had an evaluation session yesterday, right?"

They nodded.

"Good," Yukimura said, his eyes scanning the paper. "I'll be general then. First, congratulations on the wins in Doubles. Doubles 2 was well played, but Jackal, your weakened stamina towards the end of the match forced Bunta to take the position of defence. That point was pure luck. If the ball had been returned, you would have lost. And also, you two were too proud. Against players like Kaidou and Momoshiro, you should not have dropped even one game."

Marui and Jackal nodded solemnly.

"That transformation thing was quite amusing. And I suppose it worked too. Against Seigaku's Golden Pair, a win is quite commendable. But without their shock at your transformations, would you have won? 6-4 is hardly something to be proud of, considering the element of surprise you had."

Niou bit his lips and Yagyuu adjusted his glasses.

"But nevertheless, congratulations to the four of you. Now... for the Singles."

Kirihara stopped fidgeting and the room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

"Renji..." Yukimura paused and stared at the Master, his gaze hard and cold. "Why did you lose?"

"My feelings affected me."

Yukimura nodded, knowing that Yanagi understood his faults.

"Akaya," Yukimura said in a slightly warmer voice and beckoned Kirihara to come forward. The second year walked to his captain's bed and looked at Yukimura, his eyes once again filled with tears. "Akaya, you did well." Kirihara's mouth parted in shock. The rest of the team were surprised to hear such words as well. "I'm not one who has to right to comment on the cruelty of your game, so I will not say anything on that matter. Just know that next time, you might be disqualified. If you want to disable your opponents, use other methods."

Kirihara nodded and Yukimura continued. "You were smart to create noise with your racquet when you realised that Fuji was using his hearing to locate the ball, but did you realise that you were damaging your racquet? And... learn to control your State of Self-actualisation. Or else, you won't be able to beat Echizen Ryoma."

The team flinched at the name, but Yukimura ignored the reaction. He turned to Sanada.

"Sanada, I'm disappointed," he said and nothing more. "Thanks for visiting me today. I'll be released by Wednesday."

The team said their goodbyes and left the room. Sanada stayed but Yukimura picked up the tennis magazine by his bedside and began reading.

"Seiichi..." Sanada stepped forward.

"It's Yukimura-buchou."

Sanada blushed. "Yukimura-buchou, I'm sorry."

"For what?" Yukimura asked coldly, focusing on the magazine.

"For losing and not coming on time. For breaking my promise."

Yukimura put the magazine aside and pushed the blanket away. In a single, fluid movement, he reached up and slapped Sanada hard in the face. Sanada was knocked back. Yukimura looked at him – and was shocked to find that besides from the red mark his hand left, there were also purple bruises. His anger disappeared instantly, replaced with concern. "Sanada?" He slid off his bed and leaned in close to Sanada to examine the marks. "Why are you hurt?" Yukimura asked, his voice concerned and pained.

"It's nothing." Sanada looked away.

"You're... so hurt. Why, Sanada?" Yukimura asked rhetorically, the answer in his heart already. "Genichirou..." Then, abruptly, he hugged Sanada around the waist. "Don't do that again. It pains me to see you so hurt. Even when I'm angry... I still love you."

"I must punish myself to letting you down."

Tears fell from Yukimura's eyes as he kissed Sanada. He took Sanada's cap off and slid his hands under his fukubuchou's shirt. "We can do what we want again," Yukimura said quietly. Despite feeling frustrated due to the Kantou loss, the extended time he had spent coped up in a tiny, white room had heightened his sexual desires like no other times. "Genichirou..." he muttered, moving his hands up Sanada's back.

"Sei... Yukimura-buchou, do you know what you're doing?" Sanada pushed him away.

"Why can't we? I'm perfectly fine now."

"One, we're inside a hospital, two, you need to rehabilitate and three, we need to concentrate on tennis."

Yukimura's expression tightened. "Don't you want this too?" His voice was an affectionate but lethal whisper.

"I do, just not now," Sanada said, turned around and exited the room. Yukimura stared at the close door, the touch of Sanada's warm skin still lingering in his mind.

* * *

Yukimura, as promised, returned to school and the courts on Wednesday. School work piled on him, but he was stricter and more determined during training. He did not slack and always ran twice the laps. His days consisted of school, training and rehabilitation. There was nothing else on his mind other than the golden trophy.

And... Sanada. But his fukubuchou seemed to be reluctant to have any physical contact.

The nationals began.

They had a bye in the first round and were up against Murigaoka in the second. They won all their games 6-0. Their motivation came from their loss in Kantou, but also the insulting comments Ushida Tetsuo (captain) and Miyase Tomonori (vice-captain) made during the ABC Tournament. Yagyuu – along with Seigaku's Kaidou – had settled the matter, but the team still felt the need for revenge because Yagyuu did not reveal his true abilities then.

Rikkai Dai Fuzoku would not allow anyone to insult their captain. They should know better than calling Yukimura _weak_.

There was no mercy in their annihilation.

Ushida walked up to Yukimura – who had been overseeing his team's matches on the coaches' bench – after Murigaoka's defeat and said, "Yukimura, you can't trick us. You're still girly and weak. That's why you're getting your team to do the dirty work."

The Rikkai team stood behind Yukimura, their faces contorted with anger. Yukimura let out a casual laugh, but looked at Ushida with cold, piercing eyes. "Weak? No. I just can't be _bothered_ to play with you. Why squish a harmless bug and dirty my hands?" He smiled and stood up, walking away.

The team followed, shooting dirty glances at Ushida and his team. Kirihara poked out his tongue and raised his middle finger.

* * *

_6-1. 6-0._

He had lost to Tezuka four years ago. And in these four years, Sanada had trained tirelessly to beat his rival. He had sealed off all his best moves for this upcoming match. This was his chance to beat Tezuka. "I'll beat you," Sanada swore. When he received Seigaku's match order, he asked Yukimura to put his name in Singles 3.

Yukimura held up the piece of paper he was writing the match order on. Sanada's name was already in Singles 3.

Sanada moved like the shadow. He struck like lightning. His racquet slammed into the ball. It landed on Tezuka's baseline, out of reach. The crowd cheered. Sanada smirked. Electricity pulsed through his blood. He could feel adrenaline pumping into his limbs, energy coursing into his racquet.

"There're balls that cannot be returned," he said. His lips curled.

"Then I should not have to return it," Tezuka said. Sanada's smile faltered for a brief second before stretching even wider.

"You're becoming a coward," Sanada said._ Bastard,_ he thought.

He attacked again, and again, and again. 4-0. He was winning. Two more games and it would be his victory.

But Tezuka was unmoved. Suddenly, the ball was out. The meaning behind Tezuka's words struck Sanada. _Shit_, he cursed. But he would accept this challenge. He invaded like Fire. The ball went out. He struck like lightning. Same result. The crowd cheered and Sanada scowled. He did not believe that he could not overthrow Tezuka Phantom.

It was 4-4.

They changed courts. Tezuka was surrounded by his team. He spoke to Oishi, his vice-captain, and their fists touched, symbolic of friendship and determination. Sanada was surrounded by his team too, but he spoke to no one. "Leave me alone!" He bellowed at the people poking him with icepacks.

Time was up. Sanada stood again. A shadow flickered. He stiffened. Yukimura stood in front of him, his lips set in a hard line, his eyes dark and cold.

"You're going to tell me to forget this head-on challenge," Sanada stated, not asked.

"Yes," Yukimura replied, "all this is for the sake of our third consecutive victory."

Sanada stood at the baseline, waiting for Tezuka's serve. The ball curved out wide. Sanada chased after it, but his racquet barely touched the ball when his knees buckled beneath his wait. He knew he had abused Rai. The ball was zooming towards him. He drove the ball back as hard as he could.

He could feel Yukimura's piercing gaze boring into his back. But he ignored it. He had waited four years for this revenge. How he longed to see Tezuka kneeled before him!

But it was no use. Tezuka's Phantom was too strong. Sanada knew that if he took Yukimura's advice, the match would be over soon. But his pride refused to give up. He had to make Tezuka _bow_ before him.

"Out!" The umpire shouted.

_Shit!_

Sanada smashed again. Out again.

_NO!_

Lightning could not stand against the Phantom.

_I will never lose to YOU!_

Sanada sliced. Now Tezuka had no choice but to use his Phantom for a suspended period of time. Sanada drop shotted. Tezuka returned. Sanada continued to hit the ball softly, keeping the rally extended. _I feel as cheap as Atobe_. Already, he could hear the snickering. He could feel Seigaku supporters mocking his nickname – _The Emperor_. They were all criticising him, jeering at every drop shot he made.

Then, Sanada smashed. Finally, it did not go out. Tezuka's racquet was knocked out of his hand, the gut broken, the frame twisted slightly.

But the ball was moving towards Sanada. It struck the cord.

Sanada ran forward, but his knees were congested with blood and he was paralysed. He forced his body to obey his command. He needed to reach the net. He needed to return the ball. He needed to win the point! He forced his feet to move, but they did not respond, foreign as if they were not his.

_This can't be!_

_God damn it! _

_There's only one point left!_

The ball began to drop.

Tezuka gripped his racquet again. "The winner will be Seigaku," he shouted, "and with this, Seigaku's era will be established again!"

The ball hit the net, spinning.

Sanada screamed. He screamed with the strength of the four years he had been waiting for. He screamed for victory. He screamed for pain. He screamed for himself and Yukimura. "DROP ON THE OTHER SIDE!!!" He howled and collapsed.

The ball bounced and the stadium silenced.

The umpire turned on his microphone and announced, "Game set won by..."

Sanada held his breath and lifted his head.

"Sanada Genichirou! 7-5!"

The stadium erupted. Sanada staggered to the other side of the court. They shook hands and Sanada felt a stir of emotion. He was not going to admit that it was admiration.

His revenge was completed. But he did not feel a victorious elation or a thrilling sensation. He did not feel the hands of congratulations on his shoulders and when he placed icepacks on his knees, there was only a tingling, painful sensation.

He would never play with the likes of Tezuka again.

* * *

Yukimura's eyes were hollow as he shook that brat's hand. Watching Seigaku burst into cheers and happy tears, Yukimura's congratulated his opponent with a smile that did not reach his eyes. _He was defeated._ The Child of God... The Number One... was no more.

He returned to his team. They were silent. All of them wanted to comfort Yukimura, but they knew their words would probably do more harm than good.

They accepted the silver medals in silence.

Yukimura placed the silver cup into the back corner of the trophies' shelf. "Practice will continue tomorrow. Despite our loss today, there are still tournaments that we will be entering this year. Don't be late tomorrow. There will be an evaluation session in the morning." Falling in silence, he dismissed the team.

"Stay behind," he said to Sanada. The rest of the tea walked out.

When the door slammed shut, Yukimura said, "Punish me."

Sanada did not move. "Punish me," Yukimura repeated.

The team stood outside the club room, their stomachs sick with disappointment. They did not expect Yukimura's loss, and yet, they knew the one who was most upset by the result was Yukimura himself. They could hear Yukimura's shout through the walls.

After "punish me" was repeated for the third time, there was a crash of collision. The regulars shut their eyes. They knew their captain was on the floor right now, probably bruised and bleeding from Sanada's jurisdiction. More crashes followed.

Finally, the door swung open and Yukimura walked out. He did not look at the regulars as he walked up the steps that led away from the tennis courts. The team watched his silhouette disappear into the darkening horizon. The blood that dripped from his lips was as red as the setting sun.

Sanada came out and locked the door behind him. The regulars turned to look at their fukubuchou. His hands were shaking from pain. Not physical, but mental pain. Hitting Yukimura was more painful than being struck himself.

"Genichirou..." Yanagi finally spoke, "Go after Seiichi. He needs you right now."

Sanada looked at his team. A few of them nodded and the rest agreed with their eyes. Sanada turned and ran.

They were right... Yukimura needed him.

* * *

Yukimura was in the park three blocks from his house, alone in the dark. Sanada had not expected less when he found him. This was the place they had their first official date and perhaps, even though Yukimura's mind is beyond reason, his heart still considered this quiet park a place of comfort.

"Seiichi..." Sanada called out, but Yukimura stayed in his crouching position, yanking grass out from the ground. "Seiichi..." Sanada lifted Yukimura up. Their eyes met.

Yukimura suddenly circled his arms around Sanada, his breath becoming heavy and raspy as his head drooped against Sanada's chest. Without another word, Sanada flung both their tennis bags onto his shoulders and took Yukimura's hand. "You need rest," he said firmly and led the way. Yukimura simply stumbled along.

Sanada's mother was waiting when they arrived home. "Okaa-san, will you please..."

"I'll call Seiichi-kun's mother. Let him have a shower first." Sanada's mother smiled gently.

"Thank you," Sanada said and dragged Yukimura into his room. "Seiichi, here's a towel and a spare change of clothes. Have a shower and then go to sleep." Yukimura caught the items tossed to him robotically, but he did not move. He slumped on the ground, his eyes dim and vacant. Sanada kneeled beside him and shook his shoulders gently. "Do you feel sick?"

Yukimura nodded and Sanada was about to ask where it hurt when his vision was suddenly obstructed by a cascade of wavy, tangled hair. Yukimura's lips crushed against his. "Sanada, my chest hurts. Every part of my body aches." Yukimura pinned Sanada against the tatami-covered floor and tears began overflowing. "I've failed everyone... I couldn't play properly because of areflexia... but I can't use that pathetic excuse... what do I tell the team tomorrow?" he sobbed, bewildered and lost.

Sanada curled his arms around Yukimura's waist and embraced him tightly. They laid on the cold floor in a reflective silence. Yukimura began coughing violently. "See? You've caught a cold now," Sanada said, placing a hand on Yukimura's forehead.

Yukimura brushed him off ruefully. "Don't worry," he panted, his face ghostly white despite his burning skin. "Get rid of this pain. Get rid of it. Please, Sanada. Get rid of it for me." Then, he began to cry with the intensity of someone vomiting. Instinctively, Sanada took him in his arms and stroked his hair. Yukimura pressed against Sanada, his body trembling violent – almost spastically – as he continued to cry without a sound.

Sanada's shirt became damp – then soaked. "Help me... Genichirou," Yukimura moaned, his hands moving under Sanada's shirt as if searching for something blindly.

"This is wrong..." Sanada began but Yukimura silenced him by sucking on his neck.

"Please, don't turn your back on me. I don't know what else I can do and who else I can go to." Yukimura's eyes were full of tears. Sanada no longer had the heart to push him off despite knowing that this may be something the two of them will regret later.

He held Yukimura's head and caressed him. Yukimura's cold hands traced Sanada's spine, moving downwards in a slow, deliberate manner. Sanada felt hot. Yukimura's stroke was incredibly sensual despite a lingering, suppressed touch of void. Sanada sprawled across the ground, every part of his body flaccid except for his erection.

Before he knew it, the two of them were lying across the tatami mats, naked. Their clothes lay all around the room; Yukimura was obviously not in the mood of keeping things tidy. A cold hand wrapped around the hot skin of Sanada's swollen erection and he gasped as pre-ejaculate dripped down his thighs. Yukimura spread Sanada's legs further. He nuzzled the tip with his lips before lapping it coyly as if he was licking a lollipop. Sanada clenched his fists and tried to suppress the desire to moan, biting his lips until they bled.

Yukimura gripped Sanada's ankles, and bending down further, he enclosed his mouth around Sanada's erection as deeply as possible. He had the urge to stop as the organ was obviously not suited for an entrance as small as a mouth; but nevertheless, Yukimura bobbed his head up and down, increasing his pace gradually.

Sanada arched his back, shoving his length right to the back of Yukimura's mouth. Yukimura sucked and without warning, Sanada came. It was an intense, unstoppable ejaculation. Sanada dug his fingernails into the floor as his semen pulsed into Yukimura's mouth once more. Yukimura fell backwards, choking and sputtering.

"Sorry," Sanada muttered, staring at the ceiling, feeling suddenly weakened after the sudden climax. He – or as a matter of fact, neither of them – had not expected that he would react so strongly. Yukimura sat up. He was a mess; his face and chest was smeared with semen and there were a few droplets hanging on strands of hair as well. He picked up a nearby shirt and wiped his face.

"Genichirou..." Yukimura crawled forward until he was lying beside Sanada. "My turn..." He said, panting heavily.

Tired, but knowing better to argue with his currently-depressed-and-edgy buchou, he lifted himself with his forearms and allowed Yukimura to slide under him. "Go," Yukimura panted. Sanada held Yukimura's waist to steady him before inserting his erection as gently as he could. His previous ejaculation acted as a fine lubricant and he slipped into Yukimura without inflicting much pain. He stayed in the position for a few minutes, using one hand to coax Yukimura's half-hard erection into a full arousal.

At the softly-voiced command of "go", Sanada began moving in and out, thrusting his hips harder with each entry. Yukimura gritted his teeth, writhing with an intense, tingling pleasure, and pre-ejaculation seeped out from the tip. He bit his lips in preparation of the climax. With a loud moan, a spray of white semen squirted across Sanada's hands and the floor. The sound reminded Sanada of the weep of an injured wolf. The two of them collapsed against each other, their hearts thumping vigorously despite their drained bodies.

Yukimura took a few deep breaths and sat up. His mind was blank with fatigue. He looked at Sanada, who had already fallen asleep. Yukimura took the blanket from Sanada's bed and pulled it over their sticky bodies. The sheets could always be washed tomorrow.

He curled up next to Sanada and closed his eyes.

* * *

Sanada's brother woke in the middle of the night for a cup of water. As he walked through the corridor, he realised that his little brother's room's light was not switched off. "Genichirou," he called out softly, but no one answered.

Sighing at his brother's rare carelessness, he opened the door and entered the room.

He reached for the light switch, but froze when he saw the two naked bodies on the tatami mats, barely covered by the thin blanket. _So that's where that moan came from..._

"Gen-chan," he sighed affectionately as a gentle smile appeared on his face. He kneeled down to fix the blanket so the two would not catch a cold. Then, he turned the light off and walked out, turning the lock before closing the door.

_I have to remind him to lock the door next time_, Sanada's brother thought amusedly yet caringly. _Ah... did he use a condom?_

_

* * *

_**Please review. No flames please.**

Next chapter: More smut. Don't read on if you don't like it.


	4. Bruscamente

**A Prince of Tennis fanfic.  
SanaYuki pairing a.k.a. alpha pair  
**

**Story:** Love Symphony - Chapter.4

**Rating:** M

**Disclaimer:** Prince of Tennis belongs to Konomi Takeshi.

**Author's note:** Not many reviews for last chapter, but I can understand. I actually really like this chapter... it makes me laugh. And it gives me butterflies in the stomach.

**Please review**. Happy Valentine's Day.

* * *

**4. Bruscamente**

"Why are you late?" a lazy voice drifted through the heavy air of the darkened room.

Sanada closed the door and locked it. He stood silently for a moment, allowing his eyes to adjust to the darkness. "Sorry," he said, locating Yukimura's slender silhouette. The younger boy was standing beside the curtained window, arms crossed, his eyes staring directly into Sanada's.

"Hmm... come over," Yukimura said, his voice emotionless.

Sanada obeyed, walking forward until he stood a metre from Yukimura. Since the night they had sex for the first time, Yukimura seemed to have become more and more detached. Sanada did not know whether it was his illness or the national's loss, but Yukimura's warmth had never returned.

He knelt. This was something Yukimura had taken a liking to recently.

"You know what I want," Yukimura said, his words slurred, thick like honey.

Sanada lifted his hands and unbuckled Yukimura's belt. Slowly, he proceeded to undo the zipper. Sanada wrapped both his hands along the length and leaned forward, parting his lips. His tongue circled the tip, enticing it into a state of full arousal. When Sanada's lips were smeared with pre-cum, Yukimura said, "You can start now." Sanada nodded slightly before stripping himself of his clothing.

When he had finished folding the clothes – so his mother would not ask why they were all wrinkled – Yukimura was already lying on his bed, stretched-out and naked. Sanada climbed on top and spread Yukimura's legs, inserting his fingers slowly. Yukimura moaned in rhythm as Sanada pulled in and out, increasing the pace until Yukimura climaxed.

Sanada allowed his body to relax, his weight pressing down on Yukimura. Sanada closed his eyes, trying to ignore the rippling feeling in his stomach as Yukimura held his hand and licked the semen clean. This had become somehow of a ritual in the past month. _Yes, a ritual_.

There was no enjoyment in this for Sanada and it almost pained him to maintain such a physical relationship. But Yukimura needed it and Yukimura's will was his command. Sanada would always go to Yukimura's bed when called upon.

"We're finally in senior high," Yukimura murmured, his hands tracing random patterns on Sanada's back.

"Yes," Sanada answered, sucking on Yukimura's soft neck gently. Despite disliking this type of love-making (because it felt more like sexual slavery at times), Sanada still loved Yukimura with all his heart. The touch of Yukimura's skin was enough to bring him to an arousal.

"I wonder how Akaya will cope as the new buchou," Yukimura said casually. Feeling Sanada's hardening, he slid his hands over Sanada's taut, defined abdomen and moved them downwards and they grabbed the now blood-gorged erection. "You are mine, aren't you?"

"Yes. I always will be," Sanada said and placed his lips on top of Yukimura's.

* * *

There were not many new students in their grade and Sanada was thankful for that. If there were, they would probably swarm around Yukimura, drawn in by his irresistible charisma. Sanada did not want to think about Yukimura's reaction to _that_. It would be terrible.

"Sanada," Yukimura's voice interrupted Sanada's thoughts. Sanada looked up and Yukimura was sitting on his table, looking at him with a bright smile. "Have you signed up for the tryouts yet?"

Sanada nodded. "Since the tryouts are tomorrow," Yukimura said, returning a wave to a bunch of girls who passed by, "shall we practise a bit after school today?" Then, leaning in, he added in a voice barely above a whisper, "It's a date."

"But what about the karaoke and group date you've been invited to? Aren't you going to either of those?"

"Why? Don't you want to go on a date with me?"

"I do but..."

"Then it's settled," Yukimura said and returned to his seat, where a group people had crowded around. Sanada watched and smiled. Despite being the most popular person of the school, Yukimura still placed their time together as a high priority. The thought warmed Sanada's heart.

After all... Yukimura was his most important person.

* * *

The two of them ate their iceblocks as they trailed along the street slowly.

"I never knew you liked sweet stuff," Yukimura commented.

"I don't mind," Sanada said, wiping sweat from his forehead with a sleeve, "and it's after a game of tennis anyway."

"Hmm..." Yukimura mused and licked his iceblock. Suddenly, he gripped Sanada's wrist and licked Sanada's iceblock. "Hmm... Lemon flavoured."

Sanada pulled his hand back and frowned. "Now that your saliva is all over it... how am I supposed to eat it?"

Yukimura pouted, his lips curling in a sly smile. "Oh? You're afraid of my saliva?" He licked his lips in a seductive manner. Sanada's heart pounded. "I thought you would have gotten over it by now... considering how much you like my tongue." Yukimura poked his tongue out and wiggled it.

Sanada blushed, the thought of Yukimura's soft tongue exploring the interior of his mouth arousing him. Yukimura bathed in the pleasure of Sanada's embarrassment and grinned, enclosing his mouth around the iceblock. "You like this more though, don't you?" He said and began sliding the iceblock in and out of his mouth.

"Can you _please _not do this in public?" Sanada finally said, turning his gaze away.

"Sorry, but you're fun to tease." Yukimura smiled and added, "Let's go home."

They headed for Sanada's bedroom straightaway when they arrived. Sanada slammed Yukimura against the floor and began removing his clothes. They made love on the cold tatami mats until both of them were exhausted. Yukimura laid his head on Sanada's crotch and closed his eyes. Sanada stroked the cascade of soft hair that fell across his abdomen, his heart beating against his rib cage as if this was the first time he had made love.

"Shit..." Yukimura sat up suddenly, rubbing his hips with a painful expression, "How am I supposed to run tomorrow?"

Sanada sat up and wound his arms around Yukimura's waist. "Don't worry..." he licked the nape of Yukimura's neck, "You'd still beat them all."

* * *

Sanada had never thought that he would have to play against Yukimura for a spot as on the regular team.

"Sorry, only one spot for freshmen," the third year sempai had said with a malicious grin. Usually, Sanada would stand no chance against Yukimura. However, today was different. Yukimura's hips were hurting so much that he could barely walk properly. But which was more important, tennis or Yukimura?

There was no choice in the matter, Sanada realised, and taking a deep breath, he said, "I will forfeit..."

"No," Yukimura cut him off. "I won't compete for this spot."

Sanada's eyes widened. Why would _Yukimura_ give up his spot?

Yukimura began walking off the courts. As he passed Sanada, he whispered, "Don't worry. I'll get in the team."

And he left wearing a self-assured grin.

The next day, it was announced that Yukimura would replace the sempai-with-the-malicious-smile. No matter how Yukimura had gained his spot on the team, it was all for the better, because with him, Rikkai was able to win the Interschool Tournament without much effort at all.

Yukimura's status had risen to "The Child of God" once more. He was again the Number One.

* * *

It was an unusually hot September day.

Sanada sat in his seat quietly, twirling a pen in his hand. Around him, his unsettled classmates were running all around the classroom, making a racket. But Sanada was not at all concerned about them as he usually would; Yukimura was staying over at his house tonight and _that_, for some reason, troubled him.

Sanada truly loved Yukimura, but his unpredictability and constant mood swings were stressing. Sex could be pleasurable on a good day, but if Yukimura was angry or irritated, it was horribly torturous.

The door slid open and Sanada lifted his head slightly. A strange woman walked in. Sanada frowned. _Wasn't this elective history?_ He checked his timetable. It was.

He stared at the teacher. She was standing at the front of the classroom, waiting for the class to quieten down. Sanada noted amusedly that even though the class paid no attention to her, her composure was unshaken. "Be quiet," Sanada finally spoke, raising his voice.

The teacher nodded at him. "My name is Hiyumi Mizuki. I will be your new history teacher," she said, writing her name on the board. She looked _professional_, Sanada mused. She had the face of someone strict and disciplined. Her lipstick was pink, visible only when the light reflected it and her sleek hair was tied into a neat ponytail. She was the ideal teacher.

And indeed she was. Her wits charmed the class and despite handing them a stack of homework, no one had any complaints. Sanada considered her the best teacher he had ever had.

Yukimura was in a good mood that day due to receiving full marks in a French test. "Genichirou, I heard that your history class has a new teacher." Yukimura rested his head on Sanada's abdomen, tracing his fingers along the defined muscles.

"Hiyumi-sensei," Sanada stated, running his hand through Yukimura's hair. He wiped a drop of semen hanging off Yukimura's lips. "She's a brilliant teacher."

"Hmm... is she pretty?" Yukimura circled his arms around Sanada's waist, nuzzling against his chest.

After a moment of consideration, Sanada replied, "I suppose."

"Prettier than me?" Yukimura asked, crawling on Sanada like a cat. "Is that _Hiyumi-sensei_ prettier than I am?"

"Why are you comparing yourself to a woman?"

Yukimura laughed. It rang in the dark room like a delicate, silver bell. "I saw her in the corridors and indeed, she is very beautiful. I'm just wondering if you would fall for her." He leaned in until their lips almost touched. "She is your type."

Sanada lifted his head to give Yukimura a butterfly kiss. "You're jealous."

Yukimura sat up and climbed off the bed. "Jealous? That word is hardly in my vocabulary considering how _easily_ I obtain most things."

"You're in a good mood today," Sanada said, changing topics.

"Am I?" Yukimura lay on the bed again, "Well, I suppose I am." He said and rolled on top of Sanada, sliding his tongue past the parted lips.

* * *

"The essays were generally very good," Hiyumi-sensei said as she handed out the marked papers. The bell rang just as she finished and the class rushed out quickly to lunch. Sanada put his essay into his bag and took out his mobile phone. There was a new message from Yukimura.

_Wait in the classroom for me. I need to talk to you._

Sanada sat down again. To his surprised, Hiyumi-sensei sat down at the table next to him. "Aren't you going to lunch, Sanada-kun?" She asked, putting a strand of hair behind her ears. He noticed that she was wearing simple, blue studs.

"I'm waiting for a friend," Sanada replied politely. Her bright hazel eyes were alluring and there was something behind it that Sanada could not quite put into words.

"I see." She nodded. "By the way, your essay was fantastic. It's the best one I've seen so far."

"Thank you," he said and nothing more.

She looked at him, amazed at the cool composure of his face. He radiated brilliance, talent that were perhaps even greater than rumoured. It was evident in his writing as well. The words flowed eloquently, their meanings clear and without ambiguity. It seemed to reflect his complex yet ordered thoughts and his calm personality.

"Sanada-kun, tell me, what do you think of Japan's participation in the Second World War?"

"That has nothing to do with the topic we are currently doing," Sanada stated, taken back by her random question.

She was amazed by his unwillingness. "I just want to know your views. I was told that you are interested in history and have quite the talent for it as well."

"Not really," Sanada said, but nevertheless, began answering her question. "Japan's involvement resulted in the tragic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. For that..."

The door slid open and Yukimura walked in. He smiled at Sanada before realising who he was talking to. Hiyumi-sensei met Yukimura's gaze and shivered. There was something unnatural, something godly about this boy. "I'm Yukimura Seiichi," he said, his smile reappearing. "I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation, but I need to borrow Sanada-kun."

There were no reasons given. Just the demand. _Yukimura Seiichi,_ Hiyumi-sensei remembered his name from one of her colleagues. This boy was legendary, "a gift to the school" and one who was admired by all the teachers and students. Nevertheless, she was surprised at his confidence and appearance; Yukimura's aura was more powerful than she had expected, but his face... was beautiful and delicate beyond her imagination.

"I apologise, Hiyumi-sensei." He bowed gracefully. "Sanada, let's go."

The two walked out and the moment Yukimura closed the door, he asked, "What were you two talking about?"

"History," Sanada replied, sensing a tinge of anger in Yukimura's voice.

"History... Fine." Yukimura kicked away a bag lying in his path and stormed on.

Sanada followed. "Why are you so angry? And what did you want to talk to me about?"

"I don't want to say it anymore," Yukimura said, "Let's go home."

They left school. That was the first time Sanada truanted.

* * *

As expected, Yukimura was rough in his anger. Angry red marks lined Sanada's back where Yukimura's sharp fingernails had scratched. Hickeys dotted his neck where Yukimura had sucked. His body was already bruised and scarred by the time Yukimura had finished his so-called _foreplay_

"It hurts..." Sanada winced as Yukimura thrust into him again and again, pace and force increasing each time. "Seiichi... stop... please.... it hurts. _Please._" He bit down on the pillow as Yukimura came inside him, his semen pulsing into his warmth. When his ejaculation finished, Yukimura slid off the bed and put his clothes on.

"Rest for a while. I'll buy some dinner since mother's not home today. After dinner, we can continue." Yukimura threw a jacket around his shoulders and left the room, closing the door behind him. "By the way," he stuck his head in again, "I'll lock the door since my sister is coming home soon."

Sanada closed his eyes as he heard the click of the lock. His buttocks were raw with pain and the skin surrounding the entrance was broken, taint with dried blood. He flipped over to the side and flinched in pain. He wanted to run out, to escape from this pain, but he knew Yukimura would return soon.

And... whatever Yukimura wished must be done. There was no escape.

* * *

"Sanada-kun, can you stay behind for a moment?" Hiyumi-sensei asked when class finished.

Sanada bowed slightly, but declined. "I am very sorry, sensei, but I have tennis practice and lateness is not tolerated."

"Come to the staff room after practice then. I wish to talk to you about the assignment that you handed in."

"Yes, sensei."

Sanada rallied back and forth with Yukimura, distracted by the thought of Hiyumi-sensei. He wondered why she always asked him to stay behind after class to discuss his essays. _Were they really that interesting?_ Yukimura slammed the ball cross-court and Sanada had no choice but to abandon his thoughts and chase after the ball.

"You're distracted," Yukimura stated when their game finished 6-0 to Yukimura's favour.

Sanada simply nodded, picked up his bag and began walking off the courts.

"Where are you going?" Yukimura asked, a sudden anger seeping into his voice.

"Training is over."

"You're coming over, remember?"

Sanada turned around to face Yukimura. He did not forget, yet... "Sorry, I'll be there soon. Go home first and I'll be there in half an hour." Discontent was clear on Yukimura's face, but he knew he had no choice but to go to the staffroom. "I'll make it up to you, I promise." With that, he ran off the courts.

Hiyumi-sensei was the only teacher left in the staffroom. She was marking essays written by her third-year history class when he arrived. Sanada sat down beside her, as he was told. They discussed his essays, mostly with her asking him questions about his point of views. As the time passed, Sanada grew more and more restless; he had promised Yukimura that he would be there in half an hour. If he failed to arrive at the expected time, he knew he would suffer consequentially.

"You are restless," she stated, in a manner not unlike Yukimura's.

"Sorry," he apologised, dipping his head slightly.

"It's Yukimura-kun, isn't it?"

He lifted his head abruptly. "No," he said, "it's not Yukimura."

She smiled and the knowingness behind it made Sanada felt queasy. "You may go then," she said warmly, "I enjoyed our discussion very much. Perhaps we can do this another time." With a nod, Sanada stood up and walked out. Breaking into a sprint, he raced towards Yukimura's house.

Yukimura was standing at the front door, waiting for him with an expressionless face. "You're late," he announced, his voice a cold ring.

"Sorry," Sanada said but Yukimura had already entered the house. Sanada took a deep breath and followed, his heart beating nervously. They entered Yukimura's bedroom and Yukimura closed the door, locking it before turning the lights off.

They helped each other out of their clothes before falling onto the bed. Yukimura decided to take charge. He picked up the two ties from the ground and flung them around his neck. "You know," he said, attacking Sanada's neck with quick kisses, "I thought of something fun while waiting for you." Sanada had no doubt that whatever Yukimura was about to do would be the furthest thing from _fun_.

In a fluid movement, Yukimura used the ties to bind Sanada's wrist to the bedposts. He sat back and admired Sanada's naked, squirming body. Sanada could see nothing but cruelty on Yukimura's face as the younger boy thrust into him, hard and violently. Without any type of lubrication, Sanada felt as if his posterior muscles were being ripped apart by the force of the entry.

"You smell different today," Yukimura panted as he continued to thrust his erection deep into Sanada's entrance, working his way towards orgasm.

"Really?" Sanada whimpered, his hands clutching at the sheets tightly.

"Yes, it's... _Oh god_–" Yukimura gasped and came. Sanada could feel the warm pool of semen inside his body, slowly leaking back out onto the sheets. "It's different."

* * *

Sanada rested his head on the table, the loud music giving him a headache. He had no idea why Yukimura would want to come to karaoke... _especially_ with Niou, Marui and Kirihara. The three of them were as loud as the eight other people in the room.

"Wanna sing?" Yukimura asked, sitting down beside Sanada. "What song do you want?"

"I don't sing," Sanada stated.

Yukimura pouted. "Why? The whole point of karaoke is to sing."

"I don't sing."

"Fine." Yukimura pinched Sanada's cheek and moved to the front, grabbing the microphone from Niou when the song finished. With Marui, he sang "GOD69" by Orange Range. By the end of the song, Sanada thought he was deafened.

Finally, after another hour of booming rock music, the group decided that they wanted to go bowling. "Let's go home," Yukimura whispered to Sanada, then turning to everyone else, he said, "Sorry, Sanada and I have to go. We need to plan next week's regimen."

Yukimura walked away and Sanada was glad to follow.

Niou chuckled. "Ne, Yagyuu, don't you think there's something going on between them?"

Yagyuu pushed up his glasses. "Shut up," he said.

_There is no doubt about Seiichi and Genichirou_, Yanagi mused,_ they are certainly in a relationship that is... more than friends._

"Do you think they have sex?" Niou asked the horrified Kirihara.

* * *

Yukimura and Sanada walked towards the convenience store near Sanada's house. Yukimura wanted to pick up some snacks before their _love-making session_. "Did you know the song I sang?" Yukimura suddenly asked, swinging his arms out and skipping in front of Sanada.

"No idea."

"It's called GOD69."

"Like God Rock."

"Yep, yep." Yukimura grinned. "But if I take the name of the song literally..."

"As in God sixty-nine..." Sanada looked at Yukimura puzzlingly, wondering where this was leading to.

Yukimura laughed and Sanada flushed. He was glad that it was so late at night that there was no one else on the street. "You see," Yukimura leaned up close to Sanada's ear, "I'm god... and I want _sixty-nine_."

Sanada choked.

"We haven't tried it before, did you know?" Yukimura asked as they entered the store.

"I don't want to try it," Sanada said in a grudging voice, following Yukimura into the cup-noodles isle.

"Why not? I think it'll be fun." Yukimura licked Sanada's ear and jabbed him on either sides of his stomach. Sanada winced and pushed Yukimura away, but he simply laughed and thrust the shopping basket into Sanada's hand.

"Sanada-kun, Yukimura-kun," a voice behind them interrupted them.

Both of them spun around and saw Hiyumi-sensei walking towards them, holding a shopping basket with cans of beer inside it. Sanada's face flushed bright red, hoping she had not overheard and seen what they had been doing. But Yukimura was unfazed, giving her a polite nod.

"You two shouldn't be out so late. You have school tomorrow."

"Sensei, don't _you_ have to teach as well?" Yukimura asked with a smile. Sanada could sense anger emitting from Yukimura and wondered why.

"Well, I am an adult after all," Hiyumi-sensei said, with a smile as well. Then, saying good night, she proceeded to the counter and paid for her groceries. Yukimura's gaze fixed on Hiyumi-sensei until she departed the store. When she finally disappeared from sight, Yukimura threw a magazine into the basket and told Sanada to pay for it.

As they walked towards Sanada's house, Yukimura took the magazine and began reading it. "You shouldn't read when it's so dark," Sanada said, Yukimura's sudden change of mood making him nervous. He did not want to be disabled tomorrow.

"I'm not reading words," Yukimura said. Sanada peered over and saw that it was an adult's magazine.

"Why are you reading that?" Sanada frowned, taking the magazine from Yukimura's hands. Yukimura thrust his hands deep into his pockets and quickened his pace, ignoring Sanada's question. "Can you at least tell me why you're angry?"

Yukimura stopped, turned and stared at Sanada. "Remember the time when I told you that you smelt different..."

"Yes?"

"Hiyumi-sensei smelt _different_ too."

* * *

**Please review!** Guess what's going to happen... XD


	5. Sforzando I

**A Prince of Tennis fanfic.  
SanaYuki pairing a.k.a. alpha pair  
**

**Story:** Love Symphony - Chapter.5.1

**Rating:** M (SEVERE WARNING - PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU ARE UNCOMFORTABLE. IT IS RATED M FOR A REASON.)

**Disclaimer:** Prince of Tennis belongs to Konomi Takeshi.

**Author's note:** Hm. Saa... poor Sanada. I'm a little disturbed by what I can write... but please don't tell me in your review how disturbed YOU are. (Even though my beta didn't even find it disturbing... hm) Anyway, please stop reading if you feel uncomfortable, but keep in mind that I would never let Sanada be with anyone other than Yukimura. Sorry for the slow updates.  
I LOVE THE LAST PART. Yukimura is sweet~

**Additional note: **This is chapter 5.1, btw. It's set in their 5th year (2nd year of high school), but it's too long and I wanted a cliffhanger... so I split the chapter. (I haven't finished 5.2 anyway... XD) Thanks.

**Please review**.

* * *

**5. Sforzando I**

Yukimura fixed his tie, placing the knot just under the top button. He grabbed his navy blue blazer from the back of the typist chair and slipped his arms through in one fluid motion. Turning one full revolution in front of the wardrobe mirror, he made sure that his appearance was impeccable, charming to say the least. He smirked at his reflection, adjusting the curve of his smile so it was just perfectly manipulative.

The door to his bedroom swung open and Sanada walked in, dressed in an equally impeccable uniform. "How do I look?" Yukimura turned to Sanada, smiling sweetly.

Sanada nodded, blushing slightly. By now, he knew that Yukimura had changed from a truly _nice_ person to someone, under the effects of a crippling illness and a traumatising defeat, manipulative and did everything with ulterior motives. But... Sanada still loved him and he still fell under the charm of Yukimura's smile.

Knowing from Sanada's reaction that his smile was still as charming as ever, Yukimura straightened his collar, picked up his bag and walked out of the door. "You forgot your badge," Sanada said, picking up a small, gold badge from the study table and handing it to Yukimura. Yukimura took it and pinned it onto his blazer.

The words "Student Council President" gleamed under the light as Sanada stared at it. It was hard to believe that Yukimura had broken tradition – the unspoken rule that the Student Council President was _always_ a third year student. Yukimura was the first second-year student to become president, but Sanada had no doubts as to how he had achieved it – that attractive charisma was simply irresistible.

"Let's grab some breakfast before we go," Yukimura said and swung his tennis bag over his shoulder.

"Yukimura-buchou-nii-san!" Sayu, Yukimura's sister, jumped out from no where and in front of her brother. "As of today, I'm officially a senior!"

"Of the junior school," Yukimura grinned and ruffled her hair.

She dodged his hand with a smile before running downstairs, shouting, "Good morning, Sanada-nii-san!"

Sanada returned the greeting and followed Yukimura down the stairs, a little jealous at his attitude towards his sister. The Yukimura siblings' relationship, as he speculated, was very different to his and his older brother's relationship. Perhaps it was something to do with the genders, but Sayu loved and admired her brother, almost idolising him like the rest of the school; she was proud to be known as "Yukimura's sister".

That morning, Yukimura addressed the school as Student Council President, extending his charm – and control – over the new first-year students (although many of them already knew him from junior school), and in the afternoon, Yukimura supervised the tennis team tryouts as the new buchou. Kirihara was among the many who tried out, hoping for a spot on the regular team led by the _legendary_ Yukimura Seiichi.

"Sanada," Yukimura called out to his fukubuchou during the tryouts, "are we going to win this year?"

"Yes," Sanada replied, a little shocked. This was the first conversation in weeks that Yukimura had initiated without any manipulative, ulterior motives.

"Okay then," Yukimura shrugged, recording the score of a match that had just finished. "By the way, you're still studying elective history, right?"

"Yes," Sanada answered, this time not so sure about the intent behind the seemingly innocent question.

Yukimura nodded, adding a name to a list with the title of "In consideration". Then, when Kirihara reported the score of his fifth and final match (five consecutive 6-0), Yukimura beamed and said, "Akaya, you're a regular." Kirihara grinned at the words. He ran onto the courts, screaming at the top of his lungs, and waved his hands in the air like a madman.

Yukimura smiled warmly and turned to Sanada, "Let's win."

* * *

Two weeks into their second year and Sanada could already feel the pressure piling on him. Assignments and examinations were a never-ending stream of stress and sometimes, Sanada felt as if he could not cope with both schoolwork _and_ tennis; it was really a wonder to him how Yukimura managed schoolwork, captainship of the tennis team and also the presidency of the student council. Slowly, Sanada realised that it was also Yukimura's speed and efficiency in his work that made him a natural leader.

But, the amount of work was nevertheless getting to Yukimura. Dark rings appeared under his eyes, more effort was required to smile and he even had to strain to maintain his persona. All the stress would be vented on Sanada, resulting often in painful nights. Sanada had no say though, nor did he want to; his love for Yukimura made him want to relieve Yukimura of his burdens.

Due to rain one morning, Physical Education for 2-A was cancelled. Hiyumi-sensei, their homeroom teacher, asked them to have a self-study period as she had to mark history assessments. Most of the class worked on the science project that was due the next day while Yukimura slumped across his table and Sanada stared out of the window (they had finished already).

Woken up by a thunder clap, Yukimura rubbed his eyes and wrote a note to Sanada. _You seem nervous. Do you have a paper in the pile she's marking?_

Sanada replied, throwing the note to Yukimura. _Yea, it's for elective history. Worth 20% of our semester report._

"Sanada-kun," Hiyumi-sensei's voice was suddenly directly above him. Sanada looked up and saw her next to him, holding out her hand. He gave her the note, his face flushing in embarrassment. "Detention."

Sanada's jaw fell open as Yukimura frowned, obviously dissatisfied with her _punishment_ for a mere piece of paper. Yukimura parted his lips, ready to protest, but Sanada shook his head. He stopped Yukimura not because he was scared that Yukimura was going to get into trouble, but instead, it was almost the opposite. Sanada knew Yukimura would have been able to get him out of detention, but then, it would be an abuse of power and popularity. Already different from his original self, Sanada did not want Yukimura to change into someone completely _bad_. (But of course, Sanada knew Yukimura's reason was not wanting him to miss out on tennis practice.)

Staring at the rain, Sanada wondered if practice was still on. He sat in his seat quietly, waiting for the clock to strike four. "Sanada-kun," Hiyumi-sensei took a seat beside him, "what's your preferred type?"

"Huh?" Sanada looked at her quizzically, surprised by the suddenness and shocked by the intruding nature of the question.

Knowing that Sanada had heard her the first time, she did not repeat the question. She simply smiled and waited for his response.

"Smart, I guess," Sanada said, turning away to look at the wall clock. "Why are you asking me such questions? I'm supposed to be in detention, you know." He looked towards her again and was surprised at how close her face was to his. "I..." he stammered, leaning back to create some distance.

"Ne, Sanada-kun," she called out softly, her voice as gentle and sweet as Yukimura's. "Are you in love with someone?" she asked and Sanada could feel her breath blowing onto his lips with every word she said.

_I must get away_, he thought, raising his hands to push her away. But catching his movements out of the corner of her eyes, she grabbed his wrists with her hands. Sanada could hear his heartbeats as she entwined her fingers with his. Her hands were so soft, unlike his – and Yukimura's – that were calloused from training.

She leaned closer...

"It's four," Sanada said loudly and stood up. "I must leave now," he added and ran out of the classroom.

He did not stop running until he was on the tennis courts and even then, his heart would not stop thrashing against his chest. "Why are you panting?" Kirihara asked when he saw the beads of sweat on Sanada's forehead.

"Ah... I ran here..." Sanada mumbled, walking onto the courts, the touch of her soft hands still lingering in his mind.

"Sa-na-da." The soft voice knocked his thoughts away. He turned around and saw Yukimura standing behind him.

"Yu... Yukimura."

"You seem nervous. What's wrong?" Yukimura asked, tugging on the strings of his racquet. "Why do you seem distracted?"

"I..."

Yukimura tugged a strand of stray hair behind his ear and sighed. He walked passed Sanada without another word, bumping into his shoulder on purpose. "You know," Yukimura paused in his steps, "you smell like perfume."

Sanada's heart stopped beating all of a sudden as Yukimura let out a mocking chuckle and added, "You smell like a woman."

* * *

The two of them sat on the emergency staircase, eating their lunch quietly as they listened to the rain. Yukimura was unusually quiet today, reading _Le Petit Prince_ instead of making conversation with Sanada. Sanada ate his onigiri in silence, not daring to talk even though, from the random amount of time Yukimura took to read each page (ranging from one second to five minutes), he knew Yukimura was only reading to ignore him.

"Ne," Yukimura suddenly looked up from the book, "I don't feel so well. I'm going home for the day. Tell Hiyumi-sensei for me." He kissed Sanada's cheek and walked up the stairs, closing the door behind him. Sanada sighed and stared at the gloomy grey sky.

A streak of lightning split the sky with a brilliant glow, followed by a series of thunderclaps. Sanada placed his unfinished lunch back into his lunchbox and went inside.

* * *

"Sanada-kun," Hiyumi-sensei called out as Sanada was leaving the classroom after the last period of the day. "Where's Yukimura-kun? He was here this morning but he wasn't in class just then."

"Ah, sorry," Sanada said, bowing slightly, "I forgot to tell you. He felt sick during lunch so he left early for the day. He asked me to tell you, but I've forgotten."

Hiyumi-sensei nodded and Sanada turned to the door again. "Sanada-kun," she called out again and he stopped, turning to look at her. "Can I ask you for a favour?"

The rain had stopped, but the roads were still wet as Hiyumi-sensei and Sanada walked; she had asked him to help her to carry a pile of textbooks back to her house. They stopped outside an apartment building. "We're here," she said.

The apartment was on the highest level and it had a beautiful view to the west. It was decorated plainly, but with a warm feeling of homeliness. "Over here," Hiyumi-sensei said, putting down her pile of textbooks onto the dining table. "Thank you for doing this."

"It's fine," Sanada said, looking at the books scattered on the coffee table. _Le Petit Prince_ was among them. "Sensei, do you know French?"

"I learnt it at school, but I've forgotten most of it already," she said, handing him a cup of tea as she came out of the kitchen. "Please take a seat." Sanada nodded and sat on the couch opposite her. "Are you interested in French too?"

"Ah no... it's just that Yukimura---" Sanada stopped, realising that he was talking too much.

"I see," she said, moving to sit beside him. "Are you really close to Yukimura-kun?"

Sanada shook his head. "Not really... he's mostly my buchou," he said, unsure of why he had denied their friendship.

Hiyumi-sensei chuckled. It reminded Sanada of Yukimura once again.

Something on his lips suddenly snapped him out of his thoughts.

It took him a moment to realise that it was Hiyumi-sensei's lips and another for him to remember that he should push her away. He placed his hands on her shoulder to give her a forceful shove, but her hands moved like lightning and gripped onto his wrists before he could apply any force.

_Shit... I'm such an idiot._

Sanada struggled to push her away but to no prevail. "I have a black belt in karate," she said, breaking the kiss for a breath.

"Let go!"

"Sanada-kun, you're too cute to resist," she said, ignoring his struggles completely. Using only one of her hands, she grasped onto both of his. Then, pushing him onto the couch and climbing on top of him, she slipped her free hand under his shirt. "Hmm... so defined... must be from all the training that you do, no?" She smiled sweetly and bent down to suck on his earlobe.

_Yukimura..._

Sanada raised his leg to kick her and found his target in her shin. But seemingly unaffected, she straddled him in a half-crouch, half-sit position so he could not move anymore. With a smirk, she pulled her hair tie off, allowing her long hair to cascade over her shoulders. "You're so cute when you struggle," she commented as he writhed beneath her, beginning to tire from his efforts.

He wished he had his sword with him.

His body jerked involuntarily when he hand suddenly travelled downwards, touching the fabric over his crotch. "You..." He began screaming, but another forceful kiss silenced him. He could feel himself hardening. He cursed his body for disobeying his mind, but the soft hand that was seducing him only pushed him further into the state of arousal.

_Yukimura!_

"Ah-ah," she smiled and began unzipping his trousers.

_YUKIMURA!!!_

Gathering the last of his strength, he pulled himself free from her grip and pushed her away. He picked up his bag from the ground and ran out of the apartment.

He ran and ran and ran, his heart racing and his hands trembling.

Sanada did not stop until he was at Yukimura's house, where his buchou was waiting for him, clearly displeased. "You're fifteen minutes late," he said. Sanada nodded in apology, biting the inside of his mouth, trying to calm himself. He prayed that Yukimura would not notice anything, for if he did, the next hour or so would be hellish.

"My sister's already home, so remember to keep it down," Yukimura said casually (he did not seem to notice, Sanada thought gratefully) as they ascended the staircase. Yukimura suddenly stopped when they reached the top of the steps and turned around to face Sanada. Sanada's heart skipped a beat when he saw the look of disgust on Yukimura's face.

"What is it...?" Sanada asked hesitantly.

"You smell like perfume again."

* * *

After that event, Sanada never spoke to Hiyumi-sensei again. He still said "good morning" and answered questions during class, but whenever possible, he would avoid her at all cost. Sanada was well aware that she watched him, in class or when he was at tennis practice. He wanted to tell Yukimura, to seek help from his friend, but the consequences, he knew, would be disastrous.

Yukimura would be... beyond furious.

"Sanada," Yukimura tapped Sanada's shoulder, "are you okay? Lunch bell has rung already." Sanada looked up at Yukimura and nodded vaguely. Since that day, he had been unable to concentrate in class or focus on anything at all. Even tennis seemed to be difficult.

"I'll be going to the Students Council meeting then," Yukimura said with a smile. "I'll see you later."

Sanada watched Yukimura stroll down the corridor, surrounded by crowds of squealing girls. He buried his pockets and walked down the corridor in the opposite direction. Rejecting a few offers to have lunch with him, Sanada went into a desolate room that was now used to store sports equipments. He sat down, leaning against a folded table tennis table, and took his lunch box out from his bag.

The door suddenly swung open and before he could demand who it was, the door slammed shut with the click of the lock.

Upon seeing who it was, Sanada rose to his feet and stepped back instinctively. "Sensei..." he said, biting his lips to stop the tremble in his voice.

"Sanada-kun." She walked towards him in a graceful stride. Sanada stepped back again, but was blocked by the table tennis table behind him. Like Yukimura, she had a lethal air of charm and even though she was almost a head shorter than he was, her black belt in karate certainly made her a formidable opponent – especially when he did not have a sword or a stick with him.

"What do you want?" He asked carefully, staring into her dark chocolate eyes.

She grinned. "You."

_Shit_.

Sanada made a run for the door, but she extended her leg and tripped him over. She pressed him against the ground and using a few skipping ropes, she tied his hands and feet together. "Be a good boy," she said, kissing him softly. He wriggled on the floor and stared at her with hateful eyes. But her smile simply extended. "It's so fun to see you resist. You know, I've never fallen for a younger boy."

"You fucking bitch! You pedophile!" He screamed and she covered his mouth.

"Shh... you shouldn't talk like this to your teacher."

"You shouldn't be doing this to your student!"

"If you don't shut up, people will hear us."

"Get off me!" Sanada shouted at the top of his lungs. A glimmer of fury lit her eyes and she took out a roll of bandages from her handbag. Tightly, but not so firm that it would hurt him, she bound the bandages around his mouth. Sanada writhed on the cold and dusty floor, tears welling in his eyes.

_Yukimura... save me..._

She took off her jacket to reveal a white blouse. Sanada shut his eyes and flipped around so he could not see her anymore. "Do you have someone that you love?" Hiyumi-sensei asked. Sanada did not – could not – answer and suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed his shoulders, turning him so he faced the ceiling.

Sanada swore but his voice was muted by the bandages. _Fucking bitch!_ He wanted to scream as she climbed onto him. "Look at me," she said. He refused to open his eyes, but when she slapped him, his eyes sprung open instinctively. She was on top of him, reaching under her blouse to unhook her bra. She took the bra off slowly and placed it beside them. She removed Sanada's shirt and pressed her breasts against his chest. Beneath the skin-tight blouse, he could feel the taut nipples rubbing against his body.

Tears rolled down his cheeks as she unbuckled his belt, pulling his pants down enough to reveal the stretched fabric of his underwear. "Please stop," he begged, but once again, his voice was silenced by the bandages.

_Yukimura..._

Seeing the fear in his eyes, she smiled sweetly like the cat that caught the canary. Slowly, ignoring his struggles, she slid her hand beneath his underwear and held his erection in her soft, warm hand. Sanada's body jerked spasmodically, unable to control himself. He sobbed silently, cursing himself for not being able to resist the temptations. "Does this feel good?" She asked.

Sanada gritted his teeth.

"Tell me the truth, does this feel good?"

Sanada nodded in shame, tears streaming down his cheeks uncontrollably.

_Yukimura... I'm so sorry..._

BRRRRRR!

The bell rang, signalling the end of lunch. Unwillingly, Hiyumi-sensei withdrew her hand and put her bra back on. "Unfortunately, it will be suspicious if both of us don't turn up at our next classes," she said and untied Sanada. She smoothed the wrinkles in her clothes and retied her ponytail.

Sanada curled up in a ball and sobbed. "Feel free to report me," she said and left the room.

_She knows that I won't tell... she knows that I'm scared of Yukimura..._

Crying until the sun had set (and knowing that he had missed out on tennis practice), Sanada finally rose from the ground and fixed his uniform. Picking up his bag from the ground, he began walking to a place where he knew he could find comfort:

Yukimura's house.

* * *

"Your heart is somewhere else," Yukimura muttered, placing his cheek against Sanada's chest and listening to his heart. "Where are you? Who are you thinking about?"

"No... no one..."

Yukimura parted his lips and circled Sanada's left nipple with his tongue. "No..." he muttered, then sitting up and pulling Sanada into a sitting position as well, he asked, "what's wrong?"

Looking into Yukimura's eyes, Sanada could finally bear it no longer, emotion pouring out from his heart, feelings of fear and pain bursting from his mind. Tears rolled down his cheeks once more and he circled his arms around Yukimura's waist, burying his face in Yukimura's shoulder. "Sanada... did I hurt you?" Yukimura asked, a little panic seeping through his voice. "Sanada..."

Sanada did not reply, only crying even harder.

Yukimura's face suddenly twisted from gentle to terrifying. "It's that damn teacher, isn't it?" Yukimura spat the words out in a vicious tone, a murderous aura emitting from his body.

"Seiichi..."

"What the hell was she thinking..." Yukimura slammed his fist on the bed side table and hugged Sanada tightly.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you."

* * *

**Please review!**


	6. Sforzando II

**A Prince of Tennis fanfic.  
SanaYuki pairing a.k.a. alpha pair  
**

**Story:** Love Symphony - Chapter.5.2

**Rating:** M

**Disclaimer:** Prince of Tennis belongs to Konomi Takeshi.

**Author's note:** I finished this one and a half month ago. Why wasn't it posted? Blame my beta. But of course, she was busy, I was busy, everyone was busy. Whatever. Anyway, I wanted to post this on Sanada's bday (in my time zone anyway...), but I guess I'm 19 minutes late. Whatever. I'm tired. And I'm sick. And I've lost my touch for sex scenes. I think tiredness takes a toll on my writing abilities, especially for the more "intimate" scenes. Anyway... Sanada is so... moralised. I'm kinda like him. Except, not so extreme.

**Additional note: **This is chapter 5.2. Still set in their 2nd year of senior high.

**Please review!**

* * *

**6. Sforzando II**

Yukimura charged into the staffroom without knocking. All the teachers looked up and saw him, but none of them chased him back out. "Yukimura-kun," one of the teachers greeted him politely with a smile, "who are you looking for?"

"Hiyumi-sensei, please," he replied and smiled sweetly in thanks.

The teacher rose to her feet, gave him a nod and walked to the other end of the room, where Hiyumi-sensei sat. Moments later, Hiyumi-sensei was standing in front of Yukimura, looking into dark, angry eyes that were contrary to the perfect smile. "May I please speak to you privately?"

"You can talk here," she said, her lips set in a straight hard line. There was no need for pretence in front of Yukimura.

"No, I'd prefer not to."

Hiyumi-sensei was about to speak when another teacher tapped her on the shoulder gently and whispered into her ear, "Don't cross Yukimura-kun. It would be bad." Hiyumi-sensei smirked at the advice, but nevertheless exited the room with Yukimura. He led the way to the Students Council President's room.

Yukimura locked the door behind them and asked Hiyumi-sensei to sit. She told him that she would prefer to stand. He nodded and took a seat on the typist chair in front of the large, wooden table. "Don't touch him," he crossed his arms, gazing into her eyes.

"What are you planning to do?"

Yukimura raised an eyebrow. "You're not even denying it," he said with amusement. "You _do_ know that I can call the police and report it as rape?"

"Of course, I even told Sanada-kun that he could report me."

He chuckled. "Don't worry, neither of us would report you. It's too much damage to our reputations."

"Then what are you going to do?"

Yukimura rose from his seat and walked to her. Then, with a slender finger, he traced along her jaw and her neck, stopping just above her breasts. "What does your heart tell you?" He gave a light jab and leaned in until their lips almost touched.

"I..." she was suddenly at a loss of words, overwhelmed by a fluttery feeling in her stomach. "I..." Her whole body felt hot as Yukimura placed his lips beside her ear.

"Do not touch him ever again, okay? _Never._"

"But..." she could not believe that she too, was falling under Yukimura's charm. She took a deep breath to regain her composure. Managing to force a smile, she said, "But you hold the same feelings for Sanada-kun too, don't you?"

A snarl escaped Yukimura before he punched her to the ground with swift, hard blow. "SHUT UP! Don't meddle with other people's relationships!" He barked, kneeling on the ground to grab her collar.

"Hypocritical, aren't you? Trying to stop me even though you are doing inappropriate things with Sanada-kun as well. Don't forget, I saw you two that night at the convenience store. I know the nature of the relationship between you two and it's unspeakable, just like my relationship with Sanada-kun. We're similar, don't you see? You have no right to tell me to step back."

Yukimura froze before releasing her, standing up to straighten his uniform.

"You disgust me," he spat and walked out of the room.

* * *

The vandalism began the next week. First, it was just insults written on the blackboard, then, it became rude, degrading comments sprayed onto the windows, walls and tables. In the beginning, teachers tried to put a stop to it by punishing the students, but after a while, it was obvious that the whole school was against Hiyumi-sensei.

There really was no reason why it started, except for the history lesson when Yukimura walked out after ripping his textbook. Everyone knew then, that Yukimura had declared war against Hiyumi-sensei. The teachers came to understand the situation and after that, no one tried to stop the students from walking out of Hiyumi-sensei's classes or writing rude comments about her on the blackboards.

Hiyumi-sensei, too, knew that it was Yukimura that was controlling everything, that he was the reason no one turned up to her classes, that he was the cause of the "bitch", "slut", "whore" written over her desk. But it was useless just knowing, she had no way of fighting back.

"Sensei," the principal told her two weeks after the incidents began, "please ratify this problem soon or else---"

"But can't you see that this is all Yukimura-kun's doing?!" she retorted, a sense of hopelessness overwhelming her.

The principal was silent for a moment. "Of course," he finally said, "we all know. But we can't do anything. He is too important to the school and among the students... they... they will follow him anywhere to do anything. We cannot stop Yukimura-kun. And anyway, he had never picked on a teacher before. You must have done something."

Hiyumi-sensei bit her lips. Reality had finally dawned upon her that she found herself a formidable opponent that she could never defeat, someone that she should have never crossed with. But it was too late now...

She ran out of the principal's office, tears streaming down her face. She entered an empty classroom and sat in the corner, crying in fear and pain. She just wished--- "Oi, get out!" Several boys were standing in front of her, demanding her to get out of the room. "Just quit this job already!" They barked, kicking her bag away.

"Stop it," a boy suddenly stepped in front of them. "She's a teacher."

Hiyumi-sensei looked up and through blurry tears, she saw that the person defending her was... Sanada.

"Get out of the way, Sanada," one of them said, "this is what Yukimura-san wants, isn't it?"

"That doesn't give us the excuse to hurt our teachers. And anyway, Yukimura hasn't said anything."

"He _walked out_ and _ripped_ his textbook. He _never_ went to any of her classes again. How many more clues do you need?!"

Sanada silenced. It was true that Yukimura had never mentioned anything or even said anything to suggest his desire to kick Hiyumi-sensei out of the school, but his actions spelt it out loud and clear. A reason (not a reason that anyone besides from Yukimura, Sanada and Hiyumi-sensei knew anyway) was never given either; the students' actions were simply acts to please Yukimura. Sanada sighed internally; two simple actions, walking out and ripping a textbook, were enough to turn the whole school against a teacher. Yukimura was more powerful than ever before and no doubt, it was that charismatic personality that gathered him such a large crowd of blind followers.

"Tch, let's go. This woman pisses me off," one of the boys spat on her and turned away, walking out of the classroom with the rest of the group.

Sanada watched coldly as Hiyumi-sensei climbed up from the floor. "Are you okay?" he asked half-heartedly.

"I... thank you," she said quietly, wiping her tears with a tissue he offered, "why are you helping me after what I've done to you?"

"I'm not helping you. I'm simply upholding rules. Don't get me wrong, because I will never forgive you."

She sighed and shook her head wistfully. "It really looks like I've chose the wrong person to fall in love with."

* * *

"Come in," Yukimura's voice rang clearly behind the door. Sanada entered and was greeted by a bright, generic smile. Realising who had entered, it dimmed and changed into a tired, but more relaxed smile. "Ah, Sanada."

"Are you busy?" Sanada asked prudently, looking around the grand room of the students' council president.

"If it's you, then no."

Sanada nodded, thanking Yukimura for his time. "I really need to talk to you," he said, sitting on one of the four couches in the centre of the huge room. Yukimura stood from his desk and sat beside Sanada, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"What is it?" He asked, leaning against Sanada. He closed his eyes, swept by a complete calmness as Sanada held his hand and stroked it softly.

Sanada was relieved that Yukimura seemed to be in a good mood; perhaps this would make things easier. He took a deep breath, wondering if he would regret saying this. "Please revoke your declaration of war against Hiyumi-sensei."

A frown appeared on Yukimura's face as he pulled his hand away from Sanada's. He opened his eyes slowly, laughing dryly, "Hiyumi-sensei? Declaration of war? I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about."

"Please..."

Yukimura's face darkened. "After what she's done to you, why are you still protecting her?"

Sanada replied, "she's a teacher after all."

"A teacher?" Yukimura jeered, "Look at that pile of paperwork on my desk! They are ALL complaints about her. Everyday, I get _more_ and _more_ complaints about her. Do you know how tiring it is to do this? I have to read through every single one, then sign and stamp it."

"I know," Sanada said softly, not wishing to aggravate Yukimura any further, "I was the prefect committee's president once."

Yukimura sighed heavily and fell back onto the couch, closing his eyes again.

"So..." Sanada began cautiously, "what are you going to do?"

"What?"

Sanada swallowed. It was probably not a good idea and Hiyumi-sensei was probably getting what she deserved, but somehow, the idea of a teacher bullied by students who were simply blindly following one person was not right. "Please---"

"Stop it!" Yukimura's eyes snapped open and he rose to his feet. "Why do you have to keep mentioning her?! Why do you have to talk to her even when we're alone?"

"I---"

"I don't want to hear it anymore! Do you even care how I'd feel? Did you even consider _my_ feelings?" Yukimura grabbed Sanada's collar, shouting angrily, "How can you just walk in and tell me to stop after all that I've done for you? It's not _fair_!"

"I---"

"I don't want to hear it anymore," Yukimura was subdued, but his anger wasn't; the dagger in his voice was still as poisonous as before. "Sanada, I just... I just wanted to protect you. I just wanted to keep that woman away so she can't hurt you anymore."

"I know," Sanada said, slightly apologetic, "it's just that I don't think you should do that..."

Suddenly, he felt his pants coming loose and suddenly realised that Yukimura had already unbuttoned his shirt. _What...?_

"Sanada," Yukimura spoke, his voice soft but urgent, calm but longing, "prove that you're mine."

Sanada did not speak as Yukimura stripped him of his clothing; he just hoped that no one would walk in the room at this _inopportune_ time. "You can't love her," Yukimura muttered, positioning himself behind Sanada. "You _can't_!" Yukimura shouted as he thrust into Sanada, hard and powerful as if he was suddenly drowned by a flood of rage. "You're mine, you're mine, you're mine..." Yukimura repeated the sentence each time he inserted himself.

Sanada kneeled on the ground, the fibre of the carpet imprinting on his knees. He gripped onto the table's edge, refraining himself from grunting each time he felt Yukimura inside him. "Urgh---" He groaned when Yukimura came inside him, the semen dripping from his entrance and onto the carpet, creating a white puddle of sticky mess. Yukimura kneeled behind him and inserted himself again.

Yukimura wrapped both hands around Sanada's erection, rubbing the tip. Sanada whimpered, a pool of warmth floating uncomfortably at his stomach. Yukimura pressed Sanada against the ground. He squeezed Sanada's erection when he came once again, more abrupt and with more than last time. At the squeeze, Sanada squirted out a stream of semen controllably, covering Yukimura's hand in stickiness. "Sorry," Sanada mumbled, lying on the floor with Yukimura collapsed on top of him. He felt flaccid and raw.

"Urgh..." Yukimura groaned, the sexual pleasure sweeping his mind clean of his irritation with Sanada, "How long ago was it since we last did it?"

"A few weeks?" Sanada guessed.

"I see..." Yukimura kissed and sucked Sanada's neck, leaving a clearly visible mark behind.

Reminded by Yukimura, Sanada realised that how long it had been since they last made love. Sanada never realised until this moment how much he wanted to touch Yukimura's body- how much he _needed_ to touch Yukimura.

"It feels good," Yukimura sighed contentedly. "Let's go to your place after tennis."

"Mmm..." Sanada flipped Yukimura over and kissed him, slipping his tongue past the parted lips. He _too_ had let the matter of Hiyumi-sensei slip his train of thoughts.

"Sanada..." Yukimura moaned, aroused again. Sanada could feel himself hardening again as well as Yukimura's half-hard erection stroked his inner thighs.

Their hearts skipped a beat when someone suddenly knocked on the door. "Shit..." Yukimura cursed, fumbling for his pants. "Who is it?" he raised his voice.

"It's Renji," the voice outside answered.

Sanada and Yukimura exchanged a relieved glance and put on their uniform quickly. "Come in," Yukimura said, straightening his tangled hair. Yanagi came in, a look of surprise springing onto his face when he saw Sanada. Then, assessing their messy hair and uniform and frantic looks, he nodded with an amused smile.

"Seiichi," he said, tactfully avoiding Sanada's gaze (he was cleaning _something_ on the carpet with a tissue), "Hiyumi-sensei is requesting an audience with you. Now."

Yukimura straightened his uniform. "Now?" He smirked, "So I can make her life more miserable?"

"Yukimura!" Sanada cried. He did not like Hiyumi-sensei and in fact, he hated her. But what Yukimura was doing was also morally wrong, perhaps even worse. It was Sanada's decision after all to keep it a secret. He did not want Yukimura to intervene anymore. "Please just stop it!"

Both Yukimura and Yanagi turned to Sanada in surprise. "You're _still_ asking me to forgive?"

"Not to forgive... but simply to let it go."

_SLAP._

"I will _never_ let it go," Yukimura said, furious and hurt. A glimmer of guilt flashed across his eyes when Sanada wiped the blood from his lips, but that shine was quickly replaced by cold hardness. "Tell her to come here, Renji," Yukimura said and put his blazer on, buttoning it.

Sanada held his cheek as he walked out of the room, wondering what Yukimura was going to do. "Sanada," Yukimura suddenly called out. Sanada turned around and was shocked by Yukimura's expression. It was a mixture of hatred, fear, anger and sadness.

"You don't love me anymore."

Sanada had never heard words filled with such pain. Nor had he heard words that made him fall into such despair.

* * *

As the tennis team worked harder towards the nationals' finals, the vandalism increased in severity as well. It was no longer just words sprayed painted on her table, nor students missing her classes. Her car had been sprayed with the word "whore" and once, someone from the drama class even poured red paint all over her, blaming it on her for obstructing his way.

But while the school was busy chasing Hiyumi-sensei away, Yukimura was focused entirely on the task of gaining their 2nd consecutive high school national's trophy.

Yukimura was determined to win that trophy to avenge his loss that he had been on a special diet for three weeks already and had refused to have any contact with Sanada. "I'm not going to risk injuring my body or yours," he had said. Sanada agreed with Yukimura's logic; but even though he detested the pain that would result after they made love, his body still longed for Yukimura uncontrollably. He wondered if Yukimura felt the same desires.

To achieve their dreams, their promise... desires and wants had to be sacrificed. And perhaps for Yukimura, _love_ had to be sacrificed as well.

* * *

Rikkai's win at the nationals against Hyoutei was nothing spectacular. Yukimura blamed it on the approaching university exams that caused most of the third years to quit. "We should have thrashed Atobe's team," he said that night.

Sanada replied, but his voice was muffled by a bandage that wound tightly around his mouth. "Mmm..." Yukimura trailed a finger down Sanada's taut abdomen, admiring the naked body in front of him; Sanada's beautiful body had never ceased to amaze him.

"Let me..." Yukimura mumbled and dug his fingernail into Sanada's abdomen suddenly. The abrupt, sharp pain brought tears into Sanada's eyes. He jerked forward, his arms instinctively moving forward to push Yukimura away. But the leather bands held his wrists to the bedposts firmly, causing his resistance to leave a bruised purple mark. The sharp pain did not stop though; Yukimura was _engraving_ something on his abdomen.

Sanada bit the inside of his mouth to divert his attention, but when Yukimura suddenly thrust three fingers into him, Sanada yelped in pain before kicking Yukimura away.

Yukimura smirked, standing from the floor. He ignored the pain where he was kicked and lay on top of Sanada, rubbing their sweaty bodies together. "Mmm... maybe I should have bound your ankles as well," Yukimura considered thoughtfully, but changed his mind when Sanada managed to wrap his legs around Yukimura's waist, pulling their bodies together. Yukimura moaned as he felt Sanada's erection through his thin, almost-see-through pyjamas.

Sanada slid out of the gag. "It hurts..." he complained.

"Hmm... not bad. You finally figured out how to slip out of it," Yukimura purred, rubbing himself mindlessly against Sanada's erection. He smiled and arched himself backwards as he felt his own length swelling, blood rushing to it. Sanada arched upwards as much as he possibly could, panting in pleasure at the sensation of almost-combusting hardness. Yukimura held Sanada's erection and slid his hand into his pyjamas, taking his blood-gorged member out. He held the lengths and rubbed their tips together.

The pressure reached an unbearable level.

When the crotch of Yukimura's pyjamas was completely soaked by their ejaculation, they lay panting, both of them feeling limp and exhausted. "Remember the time when... when... when I lost to that boy?" Yukimura asked, still a little hesitant when recalling the memory.

"Yea... but I can't really remember the sex part. All I can really remember is you crying non-stop until you finally fell asleep." Sanada said, a fond smile appearing on his face despite the pain that was beginning to from at his bound wrists.

"What?" Yukimura untied Sanada, "You fell asleep first! And I didn't cry while we were doing it."

"But nevertheless, your mind was still filled with thoughts of the match," Sanada retorted.

"Well," Yukimura poked his tongue out. Suddenly, the smile dimmed and a strange frown appeared instead.

"What's wrong?" Sanada asked before Yukimura twisted his arm backwards with some sort of judo technique. Beads of sweat seeped from Sanada's forehead; his arm felt like it was going to break.

"Kiss me," Yukimura demanded, the warmth they shared a few moments ago nowhere to be seen.

Sanada leaned forward, grunting in effort, his arm aching more intensely with every inch he raised his body. Finally, he managed to plant a soft kiss on Yukimura's lips. Seemingly satisfied, Yukimura let go and spread his body across Sanada's. For the rest of the night, Sanada's arm throbbed and the scratches on his abdomen burned.

It had been a long time since he felt so much pain. Not physically, but rather mentally.

_Why did Yukimura change?_

_And why was he still in love with this horrible, manipulative person?_

_

* * *

_The basketball courts were enveloped by deafening cheers. The game between 2-A and 2-B had attracted a huge crowd, especially because _Yukimura-sama_ is playing. The scores were 64-58 after third quarter, with 2-B slightly ahead. The lunch bell had already rung, but neither side was willing to back down.

"Sanada!" Yukimura shouted. Sanada made a quick pass and Yukimura shot a three-pointer. It was 64-62. It was the first goal of the fourth quarter.

But Niou quickly regained the difference in scores by shooting a two-pointer. 66-62.

There was only a minute left. Marui attempted to make a three-point shot, but Sanada jumped and blocked it. He charged through the court and scored a final two points with a brilliant layup. The whistle blew.

66-64.

"That was a pretty cool layup," Kirihara approached his senpai-tachi, "you looked like a crazy bull."

Sanada glared at his kouhai and was about to reprimand him for the _rude_ comment when Yanagi suddenly said, "Genichirou, can I speak to you for a moment?" Sanada followed Yanagi away from the courts.

"What is it?" Sanada asked casually, glancing over his shoulder at Yukimura.

"Are you intending to protect his lie forever?" Yanagi asked, his tone nothing but serious.

Sanada looked at Yanagi puzzlingly. "I'm referring to the injuries on your wrists and abdomen. I could see the scratches when you jumped to block Bunta's shot. And when you take off your power wrists, I can see the purple marks." Yanagi gazed at Sanada, demanding for an explanation.

Instinctively, Sanada touched his power wrists. "I'm not protecting a lie," he said heavily, "I'm protecting him."

Without another word, Sanada walked back to where Yukimura was waiting for him. Indeed, he had considered pushing Yukimura away, but whenever that thought crossed his mind, a wave of guilt would overcome his mind.

_He was ashamed to hope for freedom_.

* * *

It was one week before the winter breaks. Yukimura was happier than usual and was laughing and joking as he walked to the canteen with Sanada. "Iced coffee please," Yukimura said and dropped the coins into the cashier's hand.

He passed the iced coffee to Sanada, who was waiting for him near the stairs, and said, "There were so many people."

"Luckily for _Yukimura-sama_, there is always something called cutting in," Sanada replied with a sarcastic grin, passing the iced coffee back to Yukimura.

Yukimura chuckled and looked at the bottle top. "Indirect kiss," he said and drank from the exact place where Sanada had placed his lips. Noticing Sanada's blush, Yukimura licked the rim and gave the bottle to Sanada again. "Want some more?" He asked mischievously.

Sanada shook his head with a smile.

Suddenly, there was chaos in the 3-F classroom. Exchanging glances, Yukimura and Sanada sprinted to the classroom, finding it surrounded by a crowd of onlookers. "What's happening?" Yukimura demanded as he made his way through the crowd.

"Yukimura-san!" One of the seniors called out and waved him over. Sanada watched as Yukimura made his way over to the senior, amused by the fact that Yukimura was admired even by the seniors.

Yukimura looked at the centre of the circle formed by a group of third year students. "We heard that she was a pedophile!" A third year with dyed-blond hair said. Yukimura nodded, his lips upturning slightly as he stared into the fearful eyes of Hiyumi-sensei.

"Hmm..." Yukimura mused, wondering how this rumour got spread. Suddenly, he caught Hiyumi-sensei eyeing someone in the crowd. He followed her gaze and found Sanada. Yukimura narrowed his eyes, knowing that she was asking him whether he had told anyone. Sanada shook his head. A sudden fury flared at the sight of the two's interaction and Yukimura slammed his fist on a table, startling everyone. "She's not worth my time," he announced loudly and walked out of the classroom to everyone's surprise. "Do whatever you want," he whispered into a third-year's ear.

As the crowd huddled in closer, swearing and cursing at her, throwing their lunches at her, Yukimura slipped away with Sanada. They went into an old storeroom and after Yukimura locked the door, he slammed Sanada against the wall and demanded, "WHY do you still _look_ at her?!"

"She's my teacher. I hate her, but she is my teacher."

"Your morals are retarded," Yukimura screamed, unable to control his fears of losing Sanada to _that_ teacher. "Why? Why do you still..."

"Yukimura---"

A forceful shove onto the wall knocked the air out of Sanada's lung for a moment. "Sanada, no matter how much I hurt you, you still can't resist me, can you?" Yukimura asked, pinning Sanada against the wall with his body and brushing Sanada's hair from his eyes with his hands.

"No, I can't," Sanada muttered, turning away to avoid Yukimura's glance.

"Then," Yukimura held Sanada's chin firmly and twisted his head so their eyes connected, "do you still love me after all the horrible things I've done?"

Sanada never thought Yukimura would admit that he was horrible (or as a matter of fact, he wondered if Yukimura even _knew_ the things he did were wrong). But the answer in his mind was clear, "Yes, I will always love you." At that moment, Sanada thought Yukimura was going to go into a distressed frenzy again; he thought they were going to make love on this dusty floor; he thought Yukimura was going to hurt him, to bruise and immobilise his body...

But Yukimura simply walked away. "Okay then," he said and left the room.

Sanada did not know what to think anymore.

* * *

The next day, Hiyumi-sensei handed in her resignation form.

No one watched her leave, ignoring her existence entirely. No one gave her flowers, no one gave her cards, no one said farewell. Everyone simply stayed in their classrooms and ate their lunch like any other day.

_And all because I loved the wrong person..._ Hiyumi-sensei stepped out of the school gates, the _click clock_ of her high heels echoing in the empty school grounds.

"Sensei," a voice called out suddenly. She turned around and was surprised to see Sanada. "You're leaving," he stated, regarding her coldly. "I'm not sorry to see you go. This is, perhaps, what you deserve."

She gave him a sad smile and left the school. _Perhaps. But thank you for your farewell._

Standing on the rooftop, Yukimura looked down as Hiyumi-sensei finally stepped beyond the school gates. He turned his gaze to Sanada, who was watching Hiyumi-sensei leave. For once, he felt no anger, only a sense of void.

Yukimura went to the Confession Tree, where Sanada was gazing into the air emptily while waiting for him "Sanada," Yukimura said and opened Sanada's palm, dropping something inside. Then, closing Sanada's fingers around the object, he walked away.

"I'm sorry," he said and left.

Sanada lifted his head and opened his palm. It was a half-heart pendant – _the_ half-heart pendant he had given Yukimura on his birthday almost five years ago. He stared at it, not comprehending why Yukimura had given it back to him.

Then, the glimmer in Yukimura's eyes suddenly struck him. He had said "sorry", but his eyes had said... "_goodbye_".

Yukimura had left him – the fact dawned upon him, and yet, even though his heart felt as if it would collapse from the weight of a billion sorrows, no pitiful tears fell. It was perhaps so shocking that he did not know what to do.

_Goodbye?_ Sanada was overwhelmed by an urge to cry, clutching the pendant tightly in his palm. _Why? After all that you've done to get rid of her..._

Nauseous and injured, he walked back to his classroom. Loud chattering echoed in the room, but Sanada could hear none of that. He sat down and buried his head in his desk. Moments later, he heard Yukimura walk into the room (or more precisely, he heard the greetings of "Yukimura-san" as Yukimura entered).

There was a familiar whiff of rose and sandalwood shampoo as Yukimura took his seat at the adjacent table. Sanada raised his head and looked at the beautiful boy beside him. But the Student Council President paid him no attention, starting a conversation with the classmate behind him. With a sudden shock, Sanada realised that for the first time since he met Yukimura, he had become _nothing_ in Yukimura's eyes.

He was no longer an important existence in Yukimura's life.

* * *

Sanada had always believed that no matter what happened, he and Yukimura would always be together.

But that week before the winter break... all had ended without anything but a cold farewell.

Now, as Sanada trod through the heavy snow, Yukimura's question resonated in his mind.

_Do you still love me?_

_

* * *

_**Please review.** (I love the last sentence...)


	7. Con Amore I

**A Prince of Tennis fanfic.  
SanaYuki pairing a.k.a. alpha pair  
**

**Story:** Love Symphony - Chapter.6.1

**Rating:** M

**Disclaimer:** Prince of Tennis belongs to Konomi Takeshi.

**Author's note:** Sorry for the very late update. I added a "story so far", so if you've forgotten where the story is up to, just read that!

**Additional note: **This is chapter 6.1. It's set in the 3rd year of high school.

**Story so far:** Sanada and Yukimura realised their love in their 1st year of junior high, and together with Yanagi, they began working towards a goal of gaining three consecutive tropheys. However, after Yukimura's lost against Echizen in the 3rd year of junior high, he began changing dramatically. Their relationship becomes even more strained when they entered high school, where Sanada was harrassed by Hiyumi-sensei, his history teacher. Yukimura eventually got rid of her (using his own ways), but... that's where it all ended. Yukimura, without any reason, decided that he no longer wanted to be with Sanada.

**Please review!**

**

* * *

7. Con Amore I**

_Do you still love me?_

"Gen-chan!" Sanada Kentarou kicked the door open and sighed in exasperation at the sight of his younger brother. "Why are you _still_ in your pyjamas? I know you don't have tennis the first day back, but school _still_ starts at 8:30! And not to mention that you have to---"

"I know!" The younger Sanada snapped, "Now, get out so I can change!"

Kentarou rolled his eyes, left the room and slammed the door. He glanced at his watch.

7:30am.

He entered the dining room and joined the rest of the family at breakfast, wondering what was wrong with his little brother. Genichirou had been sedated ever since the end of his second year in high school; and even during the holidays, except for the daily kendo and tennis practice, he had never left his room.

Kentarou gulped his orange juice down and stood up to pour himself another cup when his younger brother came in, dressed impeccably in his uniform. "Prefects Committee President _again_?" Kentarou mocked, eying the shiny badge pinned on his brother's blazer.

Genichirou did not reply, only muttering "Good morning" to their parents and grandfather.

Kentarou shrugged and sat down beside his brother. "So," he asked casually, "how's Seiichi?"

At the mention of Yukimura's name, Sanada lifted his head abruptly and gave his brother a long, cold stare. "It's almost 8. I'll be late if I don't leave now," Sanada said stiffly, standing up to put his dishes in the sink. He said goodbye to everyone and left the room.

The front door closed and Kentarou sighed. _What happened between him and Seiichi?_

_

* * *

_"Yo!" Niou called out when he caught sight of Sanada. "Have you seen Yukimura? I need to tell him that I'll be late to today's tryouts."

"I haven't," Sanada answered. He hurried towards the assembly hall, rushing past nervous first-year students. He was supposed to have arrived 5 minutes ago for the run-through. _Damn it_, he thought and began breaking into a sprint.

"Sanada!" A hand suddenly gripped his wrist, pulling him to a halt. Sanada turned around in frustration. Marui stood in front of him, grinning and blowing bubblegum.

"What?" Sanada asked impatiently.

"Yukimura's looking for you. He said you're late." Marui grinned and pointed to the general direction of the hall. "He's going to be annoyed, _president-san_."

Sanada pulled his wrist free. "That's why I'm running!" Sanada said and began running again.

"I can't believe that _Sanada_ is late," Niou said, walking up to Marui. "He's been... absent-minded lately, hasn't he?"

"Mm," Marui replied, nodding in agreement. "And it's not like you to be early. The assembly doesn't start until 8:30. You're 25 minutes early."

"I needed to talk to Yukimura. But I guess I missed him," Niou shrugged.

"Marui-senpai! Niou-senpai!"

Niou and Marui turned around and saw an excited Kirihara running towards them. "Why are _you_ so excited?" Niou asked, ruffling his kouhai's hair.

"I'm not late!" Kirihara said cheerfully. "It's the first time I'm not late on the first day of school!"

"That's fantastic, but---" Marui's sarcastic comment was cut off when a girl tapped him on the shoulder. "Yes?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

The girl was embarrassed, her face flushing bright red. "Um... excuse me, senpai-tachi... I'm just wondering where the hall is..." she asked timidly in a voice that could barely be heard.

Marui pointed the way and she thanked him with a deep bow. Her long, braided pigtails flew behind her as she ran off towards the hall. Niou laughed and said something about annoying and nervous first-years. "She seems familiar, but I don't think I've seen her in middle school before," Marui said, popping another piece of apple-flavoured gum into his mouth.

"Yeah, she looks familiar," Kirihara agreed, wondering where he had seen her before.

Niou shrugged. All first-years looked the same to him. Especially on the first day, where they always looked lost and nervous. "Oh," he suddenly remembered something _important_, "have you two met Yukimura's girlfriend yet?"

"WHO?!" Kirihara and Marui stared at Niou.

"No need to overreact." Niou smirked, "I just asked if you've met Yukimura's girlfriend or not?"

"I didn't even know he had a girlfriend!" Marui exclaimed. "Who is it?"

"Shinomiya Maki."

"SHINOMIYA MAKI?!"

"Yep, Shinomiya Maki."

Marui took a deep breath to calm himself down. "Wow... Yukimura's dating the most popular girl in our school?"

"Of course he is." Niou grinned. "And you know, Shinomiya hasn't dated anyone before because apparently, no one is good enough for her except for Yukimura. _And_, it's ironic because in the first year of junior high, Shinomiya confessed to Yukimura and she was rejected."

"When did this happen?!" Kirihara asked, a shadow of doubt clouding his mind. It was unlike Yukimura to change his mind, especially when it came to his feelings towards people.

"Just before the holidays began," Niou said. Then, speaking in a hushed and more serious tone, he added, "You know... after Yukimura and Sanada stopped speaking to each other." Marui and Kirihara nodded, remembering the after-school practice when Yukimura suddenly began to avoid Sanada.

That was certainly the most awkward two hours they'd had to endure.

* * *

"...I wish everyone good luck and a great start to the new school year. Thank you." Yukimura concluded his speech and smiled, bowing his head slightly before walking off the stage in confident, graceful strides. Teachers nodded their approval at the warm welcome-back speech. Girls sighed in admiration and the new students whispered among themselves, amazed and awed by their Student Council President.

The principal stepped up to the microphone. "Next, we have the President of the Prefect Committee – Sanada Genichirou-kun."

Sanada stood up, rehearsing his speech in his mind. Normally, he would use palm cards or a piece of paper; but not today. Not after Yukimura's brilliant 20-minute speech that was done without _any_ palm card or paper.

As Yukimura returned to his seat beside Sanada's, Sanada brushed past Yukimura and caught a sweet, familiar whiff of shampoo. It was the clean smell of shampoo that Yukimura always smelt of. _Rose and sandalwood._

"Good work," Sanada muttered as he passed Yukimura. Yukimura simply ignored the comment and took his seat.

Sanada bit his lips and forced himself to concentrate.

He stepped up to the microphone, took a deep breath and began. The beginning was slightly shaky, but luckily, no one seemed to have realised it. Except for Yukimura. Every time Sanada made a mistake, he would subconsciously turn towards Yukimura, who would be staring at him with a knowing smile.

Sanada felt Yukimura's grin throughout his speech. He could feel the corners of those lips lifting every time he stumbled across a word.

After his speech (which went smoothly, much to the relief of Sanada), the teachers directed everyone to class. Yagyuu waited for Yukimura and Sanada by the door; the three of them were all in 3-A. "Good to see you," Yukimura said to Yagyuu. "Let's go so we can get a good seat."

_As if you can't kick anyone out of their seats._ "Let's wait for Sanada," Yagyuu said, adjusting his glasses.

Yukimura looked at Yagyuu for a moment. "I'm not going to wait for him," Yukimura gave Yagyuu a smile and walked off.

_What is wrong with the two of them? _Yagyuu thought and sighed. Being in the same class as those two was going to be troublesome. Sanada joined him and they walked to their classroom in silence, both sunken in their own thoughts.

Upon arriving at the classroom, Yagyuu and Sanada were annoyed to find a bunch of girls blocking the doorway, arguing about the rights to sit next to Yukimura. Yagyuu said "excuse me" and pushed through. Sanada gave them a cold glare and followed Yagyuu. "Why don't you just ask whom Yukimura wants to sit next to?" Yagyuu added as he took a front row seat.

Yukimura walked into the classroom at that time. Sanada wondered what had taken him so long to reach the classroom. The entire class stood up (except for Yagyuu) and stepped back from their seats, allowing Yukimura a choice of (almost) any seats in the room. Yukimura smiled and took the front-row seat next to the window. "Make sure Sanada is at least two seats away from me," he whispered to Yagyuu before turning away to stare out of the window.

With no choice, Yagyuu nodded and stood up. "He doesn't want you anywhere near him," Yagyuu told Sanada quietly.

"I know," Sanada said and chose the front row seat next to the doorway. "I don't want to sit next to such a selfish and stubborn person anyway."

But the pain in his heart told him he was lying to himself.

* * *

As expected, Yukimura was captain again. Unanimous. Undisputed.

He made Sanada vice-captain, but the unwillingness in his announcement proved the act to be obligatory. No one had any objections and perhaps, Sanada thought, he was the only one who could hear that bitter unwillingness. After all, Yukimura was the best at hiding his true emotions.

Yukimura made them run around the courts until he had finished organising the tryout matches. It took twice as long as usual, mostly because Yukimura refused help from Sanada.

Three hours later, the regular team became what it used to be three years ago.

"Practice starts at 7:00am tomorrow. Regulars, please come at 6:30am." Yukimura reminded of the things they need to bring (mostly for the sake of the first years) and dismissed them. The regulars raced to the locker room and fought over the best lockers (the two closest to the showers were reserved for the captain and vice-captain, of course).

Yukimura locked his locker after organising his belongings. He sat on a bench, closed his eyes and rested. "You seem tired," Yanagi came out of the shower and sat beside him, "but you should at least take a shower."

Yukimura nodded and suddenly coughed. "Pass me some water," he said in a hoarse voice.

"Sick?" Yanagi raised his eyebrows.

"No," Yukimura said and stood up, "my mouth was too dry. That's all." Without another word, Yukimura stripped himself and stepped into the shower cubicle.

As Yukimura went in, Sanada came out of the showers, the towel wrapped tightly around his waist. He stood against his locker and looked at Yanagi. His friend met his gaze and the two sighed, knowing that Yukimura was further away from them than ever before.

Suddenly, here was a knock on the door. Sanada opened the door reluctantly. Whoever it was should know better than to disturb the team when the door was closed; Yukimura had a strict policy on that every year he was captain. Sanada hoped that Yukimura was not going to come out of his shower soon.

A girl stood in front of him and Sanada frowned. "Shinomiya-san," he said monotonously, wondering what his classmate was doing here. She _certainly_ did not play tennis.

"I'm waiting for Yukimura-san," she said with a slight smile. The smile reminded Sanada of Yukimura.

"He's---"

"Hey! It's Shinomiya!" There was a shout in the locker room and everyone rushed to the door. It wasn't every day that the school's most popular girl came to the tennis club for a visit.

Marui grinned (completely forgetting what Niou had told him earlier), "Hey, what are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for Yukimura-san," Shinomiya Maki repeated her request politely.

"Oi, buchou! Shinomiya's looking for you!" Niou shouted and turned back inside the locker room. He would never date _her_ anyway. Her resemblance to his captain would be too much to handle.

Yukimura stepped out of the shower gracefully. "Stop harassing her," he said with a smile, pulling on a pair of clean track pants. He walked to the door, making his way through the regulars. "Hello," he said sweetly to the red-faced girl in front of him.

Niou snickered. He had never seen Shinomiya so embarrassed. "Give them some space," Yagyuu said and pulled Marui and Kirihara away from the door. With the door finally unblocked, Sanada walked back inside, not wishing to see whatever Yukimura was about to do.

"Are you free today?" Shinomiya's voice drifted into the locker room. Sanada slammed his locker shut.

"Sorry, I have a lot to do," Yukimura's reply was quiet but sweet. It reminded Sanada of how Yukimura spoke to him three years ago.

"But we haven't gone out since last month," she said, pouting slightly.

Yukimura smiled apologetically. "I'll make it up to you."

"At least eat lunch with me tomorrow. I'll make a bento for you." Shinomiya smiled hopefully. Yukimura nodded and leaned forward to kiss her. Behind him, Sanada slammed his locker shut again, Niou gagged and Marui's jaw dropped in disbelief. Sanada shut his eyes, recognising in annoyance the pain in his heart as jealousy. He never had any ill feelings towards Shinomiya Maki, and in fact, she was one of the few classmates he acknowledged for being a hard worker. But knowing that she had taken his place in Yukimura's heart was hardly easy to recognise.

"I'll make your favourite then," she said afterwards.

"I look forward to it," Yukimura said and smiled.

She ran off, waving and shouting, "I'll make the best nameko miso you've ever tasted!"

Yukimura waved after her, but his smile disappeared as she turned the corner. He caught slight of Sanada's frown and turned away.

Both of them knew perfectly that Yukimura's favourite dish was grilled fish.

Nameko miso was Sanada's.

* * *

Yukimura never got to taste Shinomiya's nameko miso the next day.

He was away from school for the rest of the week. His absence was a shock to everyone because Yukimura Seiichi was not one to miss school. Not even when he was sick. Besides from his hospitalisation three years ago, Yukimura had never taken another day off.

Rumours of him being hospitalised again began to spread.

"Shinomiya-san," Yanagi and Sanada approached Yukimura's girlfriend on the fourth day of Yukimura's absence, "where's Yukimura?"

Shinomiya shook her head. "I don't know," she said worriedly, "I tried calling but he never answers the phone."

Yanagi and Sanada exchanged glances. "Have you visited him?" Yanagi asked.

Shinomiya blushed. After a few moments of silence, she finally admitted, "I don't know where he lives."

Yanagi nodded. "Thank you," he said, before walking away with Sanada. "She doesn't know _anything_ about Seiichi, does she?"

Sanada slipped his hands into his pockets and shrugged. It was no surprise to him that Shinomiya did not know anything about Yukimura. Yukimura had always preferred to keep to himself. _I like being a mystery_, Yukimura's words rang in Sanada's mind.

"Are you going to see Seiichi? I checked with the hospital. He's not hospitalised." Yanagi's voice interrupted Sanada's thoughts.

That afternoon, Sanada followed Yanagi to Yukimura's house. Yukimura's mother welcomed them warmly. "Seiichi's very sick and he doesn't like to be disturbed. Perhaps it'll be better for you two to go in separately," Yukimura's mother suggested. Yanagi and Sanada nodded respectively.

"I'll go first," Yanagi said and ascended the stairs.

"Sanada-nii-san," Sayu, Yukimura's younger sister, suddenly appeared and sat across Sanada. "You haven't been around lately."

"What do you mean?"

"You used to come everyday. Is nii-san becoming too troublesome?" She asked, smiling.

"Of course not," Sanada replied. _Doesn't she know...?_

"You should come around more," Sayu grinned, "nii-san's always feeling lonely."

"He doesn't want me around."

Sayu looked surprised. Her forehead creased and she frowned. "But you're nii-san's best friend..."

Sanada hesitated before speaking, "That was a long time ago. Yukimura hates seeing me."

"Then why are you here?"

Sanada kept his silence and five minutes later, Yanagi finally came down with a stack of paper. "Training regimen. He wants me to look over them," Yanagi explained. "I'm going to go now. He wants them done by tomorrow." Thanking Yukimura's mother, Yanagi left with a small wave.

"Nii-san still talks about you all the time, you know," Sayu said as Sanada walked up the stairs.

Sanada looked at her for a moment. _More like bad-mouthing me_.

He entered the room, telling himself that this was nothing more than a diplomatic visit as Yukimura's vice-captain. "Yukimura---"

Yukimura's eyes sprung open upon hearing Sanada's voice. "What are you doing here?" He demanded, his voice barely above a hoarse whisper. "Get out!" Yukimura was shouting now, but his voice sounded as if it was muted. Sanada ignored the commands, feeling a pang of pain in his heart as he looked at Yukimura.

Yukimura's cheeks were feverish red, yet Sanada could see how cold Yukimura was feeling. He was wearing a woollen jumper and a parka and he was hiding under at least three blankets, and yet, he was still trembling. His eyes were teary and bloodshot and his lips were cracked, dry and colourless. Yukimura looked even worse than he did three years ago.

"Get out," Yukimura repeated, coughing hard now. Sanada stepped forward, but Yukimura picked up a 3-inch thick encyclopaedia and hurled it at Sanada. The encyclopaedia did not quite reach him, but it was enough to make Yukimura's point heard. "LEAVE ME ALONE!" Sanada quickly left the room and shut the door behind him. He could hear Yukimura coughing violently from the exertion.

Sanada left the house after thanking Yukimura's mother. Sayu watched as Sanada departed. _Are you deserting nii-san too?_ She thought sadly, _why don't you understand?_

Sayu entered her brother's room and found him staring emptily at the wall with a wistful expression. "Nii-san, why did you do that?" she asked quietly.

"I didn't want to see him."

"But---"

"Sayu, I'll only hurt him if I allow him near me. It's all for the better."

"But you're hurting him now!"

"Trust me," Yukimura smiled sadly, "it'll hurt less later on."

* * *

When Yukimura finally returned to school a week later, he spent all his time in the president office. Every recess and lunchtime, he would shut himself inside, catching up on work he missed in the past weeks. Yanagi, being the secretary of the Student Council, began to realise how _tired_ Yukimura was all the time.

"Do you sleep?" Yanagi asked Yukimura one day.

"Of course," Yukimura answered half-heartedly and signed the document in front of him. "Can you please talk to Principal Yoshisawa? I need him to approve our new project."

Yanagi nodded and pursued the matter no further. There was a knock on the door. Yanagi answered it and found Sanada standing outside. "Yukimura, do you have time?" Sanada asked as Yanagi exited the room.

"Yeah, come in." Yukimura did not look up, concentrating on a 50-page document in front of him. "Did you want to talk about the cultural festival?"

Sanada reminded himself that their relationship was purely diplomatic now. "Yes," he said and sat on the seat in front of Yukimura's desk. Yukimura rummaged through the columns of paper on his desk and found a stack of paper. He shoved it into Sanada's hands.

"These are the documents for what issues we need to look out for. As usual, the Student Council will organise the location of each store and activity. We'll also be in charge of allocating the theme for each grade and the time slots for the entertainment. Prefects Committee will be in charge of discipline, making sure that everyone is doing what they're supposed to be doing." Yukimura quickly ran through their councils' respective tasks. "Oh, and apparently, last year, there was this issue about students from other schools."

"I heard," Sanada said, reading the document.

Yukimura yawned and stood up, running a hand through his hair. "Finally," he stretched, "I finished catching up."

Against his better rationale, Sanada said, "Don't overwork yourself."

To his surprise, Yukimura didn't snap. He simply laid down on one of the couches and yawned. "I'll catch up on my sleep now. I have half an hour before the meeting." Yukimura smiled and closed his eyes. Somehow, in his exhausted state, Yukimura seemed to be _nicer._ He seemed to have reverted back to his old self.

Later, Yanagi suggested that perhaps, Yukimura was too tired to keep his mask on.

He was too tired to keep pretending.

* * *

Yanagi's theory about Yukimura being a nicer person might have been correct when he was tired, but it certainly did not apply when he was fully awake.

During the meeting between the Student Council members and the prefects (after Yukimura's nap), Yukimura was bursting with energy. And unfortunately for Sanada, the energy was directed at him. Throughout the meeting, everything Sanada said seemed to have been rebuked by Yukimura.

"The first years can be responsible for reception. We shouldn't get the third years to do the reception as they have in the past years. After all, it's the last cultural festival for the third years and they shouldn't have to do the most boring jobs. They should do the decoration instead." Sanada presented his suggestion and sat down, hoping that it was not going to be dismissed like his previous suggestions.

"No." Yukimura stood up at the other end of the long table, standing opposite Sanada. "I disagree. The first years don't know about the school enough to do the reception. Second years would be better."

"Second years are responsible for advertising. They're already distributing flyers and creating banners. It's going to be a lot of work if you make them responsible for reception as well," Sanada retorted, standing firm. Yukimura glared at him, but he did not sit down.

"Then give some of the advertising work to the first years."

"They're not going to accept it."

"Yes they are."

Yukimura's words were final. The two presidents glared at each other, their gaze hard and cold. On the left, the prefects all looked at Sanada, wondering how it was that he could stand up to Yukimura. And on the right, the Student Council members wondered why Yukimura was arguing against his best friend. Three years ago, in junior high, when the two of them were in the same roles as now, they never argued. They supported each other and helped each other's proposals.

Sanada finally sat down. "If it's you, then maybe they'll listen," he said sourly.

Yukimura ignored the comment and began the topic of theme allocations. Sanada did not contribute for the rest of the meeting except to clarify important points. When Yukimura finally dismissed the meeting (which went into 20 minutes of period 4), every detail of the cultural festival was planned.

After the meeting, Yanagi and Sanada tried talking to Yukimura. But Yukimura avoided them by excusing himself to class. The same happened after the afternoon tennis practice. Yukimura excused himself and disappeared in no time.

"He looked tired, didn't he?" Yanagi commented lightly as they walked home.

"Tired? He looked half-zombie," Sanada replied, forehead furrowed. "His face was ghostly white and his eyes were swollen and bloodshot. I bet he's not even sleeping!"

"You sound concerned," Yanagi said with a small, wistful smile. "Do you still care?" Sanada looked at Yanagi. The data master already knew the truth long before he asked the question. There really was no hiding from Yanagi Renji.

"Yes, I'm concerned."

* * *

At their Sunday practice, Sanada asked Yanagi if it was normal that he was feeling a little sorry for Shinomiya. Yanagi replied with a shrug, asking if Sanada was being empathetic or was simply feeling sorry for her because Yukimura asked her to leave the courts. Sanada did not answer; Yanagi already knew the answer.

Perhaps in some ways, Sanada could understand what Shinomiya was feeling. She was being rejected by Yukimura and despite trying her hardest, Yukimura was erecting an intangible barrier around himself. He seemed to have decided once again, without notice or reason, that he needed to be alone. As Sanada watched Shinomiya take a seat in the audience stand, he could not help but share the sense of loneliness that was glimmering in her eyes.

At the same time, however, he could not help but share the admiration, awe and lust for the one she was staring at. Yukimura looked brilliant under the afternoon sun, his muscles flexing with every movement and his hair damp with sweat, plastering onto his neck.

"Sanada," Yukimura called from the adjacent court, "get everyone to start running 30 laps for cool-down. After that, everyone can go." He tied his hair up and continued his match with Kirihara. Sanada obeyed the order and shouted for everyone to start the 30 laps. He and Yanagi joined when everyone began running.

By the time everyone had finished running (and Kirihara had started running), Yukimura had packed up and was already leaving. "Aren't you going to have a shower?" Niou asked.

"I need to go home immediately," Yukimura replied and left.

Sanada gazed blankly after Yukimura's figure until he disappeared around the corner. "Genichirou," Yanagi woke Sanada from his daze, "is it okay if you come to Ginza with me to buy my mother's birthday present?"

"Why Ginza?" Sanada asked half-heartedly, still staring at the place where Yukimura had turned the corner.

"She wants a new chawan. And my sister said that there's a good tea ceremony tools shop in Ginza."

"Why am _I_ coming?" Sanada asked, finally turning to Yanagi.

"You're more... _acquainted_ with that type of stuff," Yanagi replied.

"No I'm not. Get someone else."

Yanagi was silent for a moment. He finally took out a pink business card from his wallet and handed it to Sanada. Sanada took it and read it, wondering why Yanagi was showing him a business card from this particular place. "I'm not interested in something like this," Sanada finally said. _What does Renji want me to do with a business card like this? _Sanada pondered.

"Read the name," Yanagi said.

Sanada read the single kanji printed on the card again. "Jō?" he asked.

"Different pronunciation," Yanagi said softly. Then, making sure that no one was looking, he added in a whisper, "I found it in Seiichi's wallet."

Sanada stared at the business card again. Here, the kanji _emotion_ was not pronounced as _jō_, instead... it was pronounced as _sei._ Sanada could not believe his eyes. He read the kanji again and looked at the name of the shop and address given below it. Adrenaline coursed through his mind and his heart thumped against his chest...

_It must be a mistake... Yukimura would never work as a host..._

_

* * *

_

Continued...

**Please review. **(Was the ending confusing? Feedback is welcomed.)


	8. Con Amore II

**A Prince of Tennis fanfic.  
Alpha Pair a.k.a. SanaYuki**

**Story:** I Am Cupid - Chapter 6.2

**Rating:** T

**Disclaimer:** Prince of Tennis belongs to Konomi Takeshi.

**Author's note:** It's finally the end of the journey. I kept procrastinating this chapter. But here we are... finally.

**Please review!**

**

* * *

8. Con Amore II**

Sanada stared at the sign in front of him, in disbelief that he was standing outside one of Ginza's most expensive host clubs. But what he _really_ couldn't believe was that Yanagi found a business card from this host club in Yukimura's bag.

"He could just be a customer," Sanada repeated his argument for the seventh time.

"I told you. This club is just for women. And anyway, can't you read the kanji?"

"It says _emotion_."

"Which is read as _Sei_."

"It's the stage name of a _host_. What do you expect?"

"It's short for Seiichi."

"It's a different kanji."

"He's not stupid enough to use the real kanji," Yanagi said matter-of-factly and glared at Sanada.

Finally, knowing that he could no longer argue against the combined forces of logic _and_ Yanagi, Sanada sighed in defeat. "Okay," he said wearily, "what are you going to do? We can't just charge in there. I'm not pretending to be a customer no matter what." He stared at Yanagi, hoping that was not the plan he had in mind.

Yanagi's lips curled slightly into a smirk. "I know what I'm doing," he said confidently, "Just follow me." Yanagi stepped into the host club, and with no choice, Sanada followed him, hands deep inside the pockets of his track pants. _Thank god we're not wearing uniforms._

His eyes adjusting to the poor lighting, Sanada supposed the host club was dimly lit to create a sexy atmosphere. Sickened by the sweet smell of the place, he did not particularly enjoy the smell of cologne and champagne combined. The chandeliers and excessive vases of roses began to irritate him as well. As he looked around the room, his lips tightened into a disapproving scowl.

"Excuse me, can I help you?" The manager approached them and asked politely. Sanada did not appreciate the curious and questioning tone of the manager's question. He felt _accused_.

"Ah," Yanagi said in a relaxed tone, "we're looking for someone."

"Sorry, but we don't serve men..." The manager said hesitantly, stealing glances at Sanada (who was by now looking extremely annoyed and _dangerous_).

"You're mistaken." The smile remained, but Yanagi's eyes were now hard and cold. "One of your employees owes us some money. We need to talk to him."

The manager relaxed slightly. "I apologise. Who is it that you're looking for?"

"Sei," Yanagi replied. Sanada wondered how he managed to say that ridiculous name with such a solemn face.

"I'm sorry," the manager bowed deeply, "but Sei is working right now. He's with some customers and he won't be available till midnight. I'm terribly sorry, but---"

"It's fine," Yanagi cut him off, "we'll be waiting outside." The manager bowed again as Sanada and Yanagi walked out of the club.

Sanada breathed a sigh of relief when they finally stepped outside. He just hoped that this _Sei_ was not Yukimura.

* * *

Yanagi looked at his watch. _12:03am_. He glanced around the empty streets, a trickle of doubt creeping into his mind about whether or not this _Sei_ was really Yukimura.

_12:04am._

The door of the host club swung open and a young woman in extravagant clothing stepped out, looking slightly intoxicated. "Genichirou..." Yanagi suddenly said. Sanada lifted his head and saw a young man standing at the door as well, seeing the women off.

"Yukimura..." Sanada could not believe his eyes.

Ten metres away, Yukimura was dressed in an impeccable suit, smiling sweetly as the woman hung her arms around his neck. "Kiss me," she was saying. Sanada stood up and stared in disbelief as Yukimura leaned down and did as he was told. Sanada turned away; watching Yukimura slip his tongue into someone else's mouth certainly did not get rid of the sickening feeling in his stomach.

Finally, the woman walked away and Yukimura stepped back into the shop.

Five minutes later, Yukimura exited the club, dressed in t-shirt and jeans. Digging his hands into his pockets, he began walking with his head hung low. Sanada and Yanagi followed him, not wishing to create a commotion outside the host club.

"Seiichi!" Yanagi called out to Yukimura when the host club was finally out of sight.

Yukimura froze. Then, slowly, he turned around and stared at the two with wide eyes.

"Sanada... Renji..." Yukimura stammered nervously, unsure whether or not they saw him exiting the host club. "What are you two doing here?"

Yanagi ignored the question and directed his own. "Is this why you're so tired all the time?"

"I..."

"Why are you here?" Yanagi demanded. "You smell like alcohol."

Yukimura bit his lips. "I never had any," he replied, wondering how they found out about his job.

"Why are you working here?" Sanada finally spoke.

Immediately, Yukimura turned defensive. "I need the money, okay?" he snapped before turning around and walking away quickly.

Yanagi and Sanada ran after him. "Can't you tell us the truth?" Yanagi asked, pressing a hand on Yukimura's shoulder.

Yukimura looked at him, a strange glimmer in his eyes. For a moment, it seemed as though he was going to tell them something, but the moment passed and the glimmer was replaced by an impassive iciness. "It's nothing," he answered, expressionless. "Just go home. We have practice at 6:30am tomorrow morning." With that, Yukimura brushed Yanagi's hand away and continued his way along the street, disappearing into the darkness of the chilly night.

"At least now we know why he's so tired," Yanagi commented. Sanada wasn't sure whether he was sarcastic or not.

* * *

The next day, Yukimura had lunch at the rooftop gardens to avoid Sanada and Yanagi seeking him out. He sat by himself, surrounded by the calming fragrance of azaleas. As he ate his bento slowly, he carelessly flipped through the booklets in front of him, feeling exceptionally irritated.

Suddenly, the door to the rooftop swung open violently. Yukimura frowned and looked up. _Didn't they see the sign?_

To his surprise, it was his tennis team. Yukimura quickly shoved the booklets he was reading into his bag. "What is it?" He asked, pretending to be eating his lunch to avoid Yanagi's questioning gaze (who obviously saw him hiding the booklets).

"Atobe's here," Marui said, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "He's challenging us."

"Sanada, deal with him." Yukimura turned back to his lunch. "I want to finish my lunch peacefully."

"He's refusing a match from anyone but you," Niou said, rising an eyebrow at his captain's reluctance. The old Yukimura would _never_ refuse any challenges.

Yukimura sighed in annoyance and slowly packed up. He put the lunchbox into his bag and stood up. "I'll get changed now," Yukimura said and left the rooftop.

Fifteen minutes later, Yukimura stood face to face with Atobe. Yukimura spun his racquet about his wrist, staring at Atobe with a clearly irritated expression. Atobe simply smirked and took off his jacket, throwing it to the side. "Ore-sama is here to test my new technique," he said, overflowing with confidence.

Yukimura adjusted his headband. "Well, _ore-sama_ doesn't want to play you," he said, mimicking Atobe's tone. "Unless it's an official match, of course."

Atobe's smile simply widened. "I heard you've been slackening lately. But shouldn't you practise a little more? You do know that the little brat is back from America." As if to trigger Yukimura's taboo, Atobe laughed mockingly, his ridicule echoing through the courts.

Yukimura's grip on his racquet tightened. "Bring it on," he said and walked to the baseline, a black aura sprouting from his body as cheers erupted from the audience stand. "You'll regret coming here today," Yukimura shouted across the court. Atobe sneered and served.

Speculating from the sidelines, Sanada and Yanagi knew Yukimura had not forgotten about the loss. The crushing pain and humiliation brought on by that loss against Echizen had never ceased to trouble Yukimura. Yukimura would never forget that loss... and he would have his revenge.

"You'll regret challenging me," Yukimura said and those were the last words Atobe Keigo heard before his senses were stripped away by the Creeping Shadow.

A few months later, in an equally obliterating way, Yukimura defeated Echizen Ryoma in the national finals, winning the trophy... and completing the dream.

But the atmosphere that surrounded the winning team seemed almost contradictory to the losing team. Seigaku celebrated their achievement as the runner-up, but Rikkai, the champion once again, was overcast by the loss sense of companionship. Three years ago, Yukimura's gentle gaze had brought the champions together... but now, that gentleness was gone, replaced with a cold dispassion.

What had happened between their captain and vice-captain?

What had happened to Yukimura's passion?

What had happened to their team?

There was no joy in their victory. And the promise of six years had become meaningless already...

* * *

The months following the final examinations were nothing but hellish. Yukimura could not remember a time when he slept more than two hours. It felt as if no matter how hard he worked, more work just kept piling up. He did not want to smile anymore...

He felt out of breathe.

With the university entrance examinations starting in a month, Yukimura knew he would need time to repose.

_Not that they're important anyway..._

Shaking off the unnecessary thought, Yukimura continued working on his English assignment, debating how he should translate _"Life is but a walking shadow"_ into Japanese. _Should I write "kage" first, or "jinsei" first?_

As he read out the two variations to himself, determining which one had better effect, someone knocked on the door. "Come in," he answered without looking up. Yanagi walked in and closed the door.

Yukimura groaned when Yanagi placed another pile of work on his table.

"You're stressed and you're tired," Yanagi stated, sitting down opposite Yukimura.

Yukimura mumbled a reply before continuing his debate over the word order. "Seiichi," Yanagi spoke again, "Shinomiya was crying the other day. Do you know what happened?"

"I broke up with her," Yukimura replied unconcernedly, finally writing down his translation.

Suddenly, he placed the pen down and taking a deep breath, he looked into Yanagi's eyes. "I can't stand it anymore," Yukimura began, and Yanagi was surprised to hear a broken voice, "I'm exhausted. I can't do this anymore."

In his shock at Yukimura's sudden break-down, Yanagi did not know how to offer his console. "I quit my job," Yukimura continued on, tears welling in his bloodshot eyes, "but I'm still so tired. I can barely keep my eyes open during class and at practice, I feel as if I'm going to collapse in the middle of a point. I can't continue working. I wish I could just give up. I want to give up on everything..."

Tears could not be contained anymore. Yukimura buried his face into his hands and sobbed, his sorrow flowing out like water gushing out from a broken dam.

Yanagi stood from his seat and walked to Yukimura's side. Placing a hand on Yukimura's shoulder, Yanagi squatted beside Yukimura, offering silent comfort. Finally, when Yukimura's weeping subdued, Yanagi spoke again in a gentle whisper, "Why don't you talk to Genichirou? No matter how you feel towards him, he still loves you. He wants to share your stress---"

"You don't understand!" Yukimura cut Yanagi off. "I just... he doesn't deserve to be hurt again."

Yanagi was surprised once again by Yukimura's words. Did this mean Yukimura still cared about Sanada?

"But you're hurting him _now_, Seiichi."

Yukimura dried his tears with his sleeve. "I know," he said, his voice levelled and calmed in the abrupt change of tone, "but it's better to be gradual." At the end of the sentence, Yukimura Seiichi looked perfectly fine again. There were no traces of tears, tiredness or discomfort on his face. Any signs of depression and fatigue were gone.

If he wasn't so concerned by what Yukimura meant by "gradual", Yanagi would have been amazed by Yukimura's swift change of mood.

Yukimura stood from his seat and walked to the window. Through the glass, he gazed at the school grounds, watching the passing students. "You know," Yukimura's lips curled into a sardonic yet wistful smirk, "I have everything. Except for the thing that I truly want."

"And what's that?" Yanagi asked, praying that Yukimura's answer was going to be the same as his guess. Yanagi could no longer deduct accurately what was on Yukimura's mind. The mind of the Child of God was simply too complex and too distant for him to analyse anymore.

Yukimura smiled and did not answer. "It's time I ended our relationship," he said, placing a hand on the glass. "I don't want to hurt him when the time comes..."

_When the time comes?_

Yanagi wanted to question Yukimura further, but the bell for the next class rang and Yukimura quickly exited the room. Despite his concern for his friend, the stress of the examinations soon overpowered Yanagi's unease. In a few weeks' time, Yanagi had put the matter out of his mind.

* * *

"A doctor?!" Marui exclaimed, reading Sanada's future plan survey aloud.

Sanada spun around, shoving the pendants he was looking at into his pocket. "Marui, give it back!" he barked, snatching for the piece of paper. Marui ran outside the locker room, shouting for Jackal. Without the energy to chase after Marui, Sanada sat back down, taking out the pendants from his pockets again.

Placing the two halves together, he completed the heart.

He sighed and broke apart the heart again. Carefully, he placed them into a small box.

Yanagi came in a few moments later with Sanada's future plan survey. "Here," he offered it to Sanada. With a nod of gratitude, Sanada took the sheet and put it back into his bag along with the box.

"Doctor?" Yanagi asked, taking out his racquet from his tennis bag.

Sanada did not answer.

"20 laps to begin practice!" Yukimura's voice drifted into the locker room.

Yanagi gazed at Sanada questioningly.

Sanada nodded, the determination in his eyes offering the answer.

"Of course, that incident three years ago..." Yanagi looked down and adjusted his power wrists, his lips curling slightly into a sad smile. "I can't forget it either."

* * *

Sanada sat in the stairwells, eating his onigiri slowly. Beside him, Yanagi and Yagyuu were having a discussion about whether Date Masamune's still-quoted aphorism, _"Rectitude carried to excess hardens into stiffness; benevolence indulged beyond measure sinks into weakness"_, was accurate or not.

Silently agreeing with the maxim, Sanada closed his eyes to rest – until Yukimura was suddenly brought up in the conversation.

"I heard Yukimura didn't hand in a future plan survey," Yanagi said to Yagyuu, indirectly speaking to Sanada as well.

Yagyuu nodded. "The strange thing is that our homeroom teacher didn't ask him for it either," he replied, a small frown appearing.

Yanagi nudged Sanada with his foot. Without opening his eyes, Sanada replied, his voice apathetically monotonous, "It's _Yukimura_. What can the teacher do if he doesn't want to hand it in?"

Yagyuu gazed at Sanada, musing at his cold attitude. Yanagi sighed and offered another possible explanation, "Or maybe he has already been accepted into something."

Slowly, Sanada's eyes opened, giving Yanagi a sceptical stare. Without further words, Sanada packed up his lunch and left the stairwells. "Renji," Sanada spoke before slamming the door shut, "Yukimura doesn't want us to care. He doesn't want us to know what he's doing. It's time we stop caring."

Yanagi stared at the closed door. _But you're wrong..._

_

* * *

_The day before their graduation, the team practised harder than ever before. It was left unsaid, but behind their excitement towards their future, a lingering sadness dwelled. The six years they spent playing tennis together seemed eternal, and yet, it seemed to have passed in a flash.

Yukimura stood in front of his locker in quiet reflection. _Six years... and it's already the end._

He inhaled deeply and packed the last towel in his locker into his tennis bag. The locker was empty now, the memories contained in it gone with the absence of his possessions. Yukimura was at a loss now. Now that high school was finished, life seemed to have suddenly thrown itself at him. It was time to face the reality.

Yukimura picked up his racquet from the bench and walked out of the locker room.

"Yukimura-buchou!" all the members called out as they saw him.

He smiled and nodded his appreciation. As he watched the members continue on with their training, a sense of nostalgia washed over his mind. He chuckled wistfully to himself. _I haven't even graduated yet..._ he mused and looked at the photo in his hands. It was the photo taken in his first year of junior high, after their win at the national finals.

He was smiling, holding the plaque. Renji was behind him, grinning happily as he waved the flag. And Sanada... he was scowling as usual, trying to his desire to smile as he raised the trophy into the air.

Yukimura would give anything to relive that moment.

_But it's too late now..._

Taking a deep breath, he walked to the court where Sanada was paired up with Yanagi, playing a doubles match against Kirihara. "Akaya," Yukimura interrupted the match, "I'm sorry. But I have to stop you from defeating your Sanada-sempai and Yanagi-sempai."

Kirihara grinned at Yukimura's sarcasm. "Don't joke, buchou. I know how good I am."

"You're a brilliant player, Akaya," Yukimura said sincerely.

"Thank you," Kirihara said with a bow and walked off the courts with a bright smile.

Yukimura walked up to Sanada and with determination glimmering in his eyes, he asked in a loud voice, "Sanada, can I have one last match with you?"

The regulars froze at those words. Yanagi's eyes sprung open and he stared at Yukimura in disbelief. "Seiichi..."

"Please?" Yukimura said, gazing at Sanada intently. "As the captain, I would like to play one last match against my vice-captain."

A mocking scoff escaped Sanada. "As your vice-captain, I cannot disobey my captain," he said, the implication behind his words strong and obvious.

"And... as a friend," Yukimura said.

Sanada's scowl lifted into a smile as he walked to the opposite end of the court. "What's with your sudden change of mind?" he asked.

Yukimura kept his silence, simply smiling before he served an ace down the line. The two played to their best, displaying all their techniques and skills. Truly, there was no match more spectacular and heart-warming than this one. It was simply... remarkable.

At the end of the match, they shook hands, just as they had on the bank of the river three years ago. The sunset behind them was as red as three years ago as well...

"Thank you for being my vice-captain all these years,' Yukimura said, his sincerity from the bottom of his heart. The amount he owed Sanada was, beyond doubt, more than he could ever repaid or give thanks for. What Sanada had done for him, had given him could never be replaced. And Yukimura could never show his gratitude with mere words.

Sanada nodded firmly, relieved and pleased that Yukimura had returned to his old self. "Let's have another match like that soon," he said, looking into Yukimura's bright hazel orbs.

But those eyes looked away. And the sudden deflation of Yukimura's smile told Sanada that Yukimura had not returned to the way his was. "Perhaps," Yukimura said and released his grip on Sanada's hand. He walked away from the court and began giving orders to the members while congratulating them on the hard work they had put in throughout the year.

Sanada gazed at his hand and tightened it into a fist.

_Was that sadness in his eyes?_

_

* * *

_"Friendship may not last forever," Yukimura said, beginning his final speech as Student Council President, "but that does not mean it is not important."

He paused, allowing his words to ring through the assembly hall.

"During the graduation ceremony, we always hear about our sempai-tachi talking about our bright futures and the everlasting friendships made in this school. Today, I would like you to acknowledge friendship. Not the idealised ever-lasting friendship, but the type of friendship that is truly important.

"It is difficult to find someone who knows all your faults, all your weaknesses, all your imperfections. But it is even harder to find someone who will love and accept you despite those faults and weaknesses. As humans, I believe that we're forever searching for that special person. We may find that person, or we may not. That person may be living in a country thousands of miles away; or he – or she – could be your next door neighbour or even your family.

"My question is, how do we _know_ when we have found that person? Everyone here probably has a different answer. For me, this question is difficult to answer. That person may pass us by or we may even be friends for a little while. But without truly acknowledging the bond between the two people, that special relationship may never be formed. That person may be right next to us, but until we realise their importance, they may disappear one day, the bond of friendship broken, beyond repair.

"Ten years, a hundred years... it does not matter how long you are friends for; that special person may still disappear from your side. So, look beside you, look at your friend, and realise the significance of your friendship. Perhaps it will be short-lived. Perhaps you will never talk again after graduation. Perhaps you will be a doctor and perhaps you will be an actuary and perhaps, your career paths will never cross. But realise that, at this moment, a bond of friendship ties you together.

"Realise that friendship before it is gone forever. For a minute, even a second, acknowledge that connection."

Yukimura closed his eyes for a moment. Then, looking at the students, teachers and parents in front of him with a silent resolution, he ended his speech with his final address.

"Homer once said that _'The difficulty is not so great to die for a friend, as to find a friend worth dying for'_. For a minute, for a second, if you could find that friend, treasure the bond between the two of you. It is something uplifting, something precious, something irreplaceable. It ascends beyond victory, beyond defeat. It is a _bond_ that is shared by two people.

"Realise, even for a moment, how precious friendship is."

_It was a bond I did not treasure enough_.

There was silence. Then, the audience cheered and wiped their tears as Yukimura descended the stairs.

_How ironic,_ Yukimura thought sourly as he took his seat besides Sanada.

"Good work," Sanada said and stood up to deliver his speech.

Yukimura nodded and replied, "Thank you." _Thank you for everything._

As the audience clapped for the last speaker of the graduation ceremony, a silent tear slid down Yukimura's cheek.

* * *

Sanada did not know how to apologise, nor did he know why he should after what Yukimura had done to him. His love for Yukimura, however, had been reminded by that touching and saddening speech. Those words flowed with such a sorrowful regret that Sanada wondered if there was a reason behind Yukimura's abrupt and violent change.

A million thoughts surged through his mind as he paced slowly towards the tennis courts. He could see the regulars standing around court A, all of them silent except for the sobbing Kirihara. Niou, seemingly affected by the poignant atmosphere of graduation day, was comforting Kirihara, ruffling his kouhai's hair as a gesture of reassurance and affection.

"Bakaya, we'll be back to crush you!" Marui said with a cheeky grin. Yet, behind his light-heartedly words, the sadness in them were too obvious.

Niou stretched his arms. "There's really no need to be so sad!" He said at an attempt to lighten the atmosphere, "We're still going to see each other."

Kirihara began wailing. "Except for---"

"Where's Yukimura?" Sanada joined them, patting Kirihara on the shoulder. The air became heavy and suffocating all of a sudden. Sanada glanced around, taken back by the sudden deterioration of atmosphere. Kirihara was now on the ground, tears streaming down his cheeks unstoppably. Marui was kneeling beside him, sobbing silently as well.

Even Niou looked away.

Yanagi finally came forward. He handed Sanada a small white box with a large red ribbon tied around it. "Seiichi wanted you to have this," Yanagi said softly.

Sanada held the box in his hands, unsure of what to do. Finally, opening the lid in hesitation, he found two envelops. The pink one did not have any writing on it and on the white, only Sanada's name was printed. As usual, the first kanji of his surname was a little larger than the second kanji.

_Open this first._ The instruction was printed at the bottom of the envelope.

Sanada opened it, careful not to rip the envelope. As he pulled the letter out, he could not help but feel that the silence of the team was a foreboding premonition. The letter was two pages long, stapled neatly on the top left hand corner.

_Dear Sanada,  
__First of all, congratulations on your graduation. I'm sure you'll find the right path and become someone great one day.  
I'm sorry for the past few years. I have not been a good captain, a good friend or a good lover. I'm sorry that I've hurt you so much._

Sanada paused there, his hands tightening their grip on the letter, scrunching it slightly. He wished Yukimura had said this earlier. Why? Sanada wondered. Why was Yukimura telling him this _now_? Biting his lips, he continued to read.

_You were always there to wipe my tears, but I pushed you away in my selfishness.  
I'm so sorry that I've hurt you. As everything piled on me, I began losing my self control.  
I lost myself...  
But please know that I have never stopped loving you. I have loved you until now, and I will continue to love you._

Of everything Sanada expected Yukimura to say, this was certainly not one of them. None of this made any sense to him. Just a few weeks ago, Yukimura was distant, foreign and hostile. But now, everything seemed completely contradictory. _You're lying... you're lying... you must be lying_... Sanada did not want to believe the words, for he knew they would bring too much pain.

_I didn't want you to see me as a host. It was degrading and I know I should not have done it. I hope you will come to understand my reasons and come to forgive me. _

Right now, Sanada could care less about what Yukimura was. He did not care about the reasons; all he wanted right now was to see Yukimura and to tell him how sorry he was and how much he still loved him despite all that they had been through.

_You will find two buttons in the other envelope. They're the second buttons of both my tennis shirt and school uniform. My love for you has never ceased and I hope these two buttons will bring you good luck in the future. _

Struggling to see through his tears, Sanada opened the other envelope and found two buttons, one white and the other brownish-yellow.

"Why...?" Sanada muttered, holding the buttons in his clammy palms.

"The second buttons. The closest to your heart," Niou answered, looking towards the sky. Sanada suspected that he was trying to hide the tears that were welling in his eyes.

There was a small note attached in the pink envelop. Reading it, Sanada felt faint and nauseous. He leaned against the net pole, panting heavily as large droplets of tears rolled down his cheeks. Yanagi took the note from his hand gently and read it.

The tear-stained note read:

_Sanada, by the time you read this, I will be at Narita airport.  
I have received an offer to train in America to become a professional. My plane will depart at 4:15pm.  
I'm sorry for not being able to tell you face to face.  
All my best wishes are with you._

_Yukimura Seiichi._

_P.S. It is not fair for me to tell you that I love you now. Yet, I feel that if I don't tell you, it will be the biggest regret of my life. I do not expect you to feel the same as I do as it is too unreasonable. But no matter how unreasonable it is, I just hope you will remember what we had. One day, when you find your new love, I just hope that you'll remember me. I do not expect nor deserve a place in your heart, but I hope there'll be a Yukimura Seiichi in your heart forever._

_Goodbye_.

Sanada was paralysed. In the period of two minutes, his world had fallen around him. Not only did he find out the reason why Yukimura became a host, he also realised what had pressured Yukimura into becoming the person he was. But what struck Sanada the most was that Yukimura's heart had never really changed. It had always belonged to Sanada.

But Sanada did not know that.

And it was too late already.

Yukimura was gone. He was gone forever.

"Sanada-kun!" Yagyuu was shouting as he ran towards them, "I flagged a taxi for you!"

But Sanada shook his head. "What's the use? Yukimura left as soon as the ceremony ended. That was two hours ago already..." He slumped against the pole, feeling incredibly stupid. How could he not have realised? How could he have let Yukimura suffer all his burden and pain alone? The strange way that Yukimura had been acting for the past few days, Sanada realised now, were already full of indications that Yukimura was preparing to leave.

_He did not answer me when I said "Let's have another match"---_

"Idiot!" Yanagi punched Sanada to the ground, cutting through Sanada's thoughts. "Can't you consider Seiichi's feelings for even one moment?! Even though he said he doesn't deserve to be loved by you, even though he said he didn't deserve it, deep inside his heart, he's still waiting for you!" Yanagi pulled Sanada up by the collar. "Isn't this what you've been waiting for? Why aren't you chasing after it?" Releasing Sanada, Yanagi gave him a forceful shove towards the direction of the school entrance.

Hesitation was suddenly replaced by determination. Sanada picked up his bag and ran as swiftly as the wind.

Never in his life had he ran so quickly. But now, there was something he must do.

* * *

He was alone.

But in the past few months, he had become used to that sickening feeling in his stomach.

As Yukimura walked towards the gate, he took a deep breath. Tears stained his face, but he knew it was time for his new life. It was time to let go.

_I just wish I could have told him._ With a wistful smile to himself, Yukimura proceeded to the gate, taking out his identification document. It was goodbye to Japan. It was goodbye to everything he had – his family, his friends and Sanada. As Yukimura flipped to the correct page on his passport, he wondered if he could have chosen differently.

_It's too late now,_ he told himself, _stop regretting._ Gloomily, he handed the officer his passport.

"YUKIMURA!" A voice erupted in the hall suddenly, disrupting the quiet chatter and farewells. Heads turned, including Yukimura's.

Yukimura gasped. It could not be. The person in front of him, panting and sweating... how could it be?

"Wait!" Sanada stumbled towards Yukimura, his hand pressed to his side. "Please wait!"

Apologising to the officer, Yukimura took his passport back. Hesitatingly and uncertainly, Yukimura stepped away from the gate and walked to Sanada. "Why---"

Yukimura was startled when he suddenly found himself embraced by Sanada in a tight hug. A blush coloured Yukimura's cheeks as he became well aware of the stares they were receiving. He returned the hug stiffly, unsure what Sanada was aiming for. "Do you forgive me?" Yukimura finally asked, whispering into Sanada's ear.

"Of course," Sanada replied softly and tightened his embrace. He was never letting Yukimura go again. Yet...

"Then I have no more regrets," Yukimura said, clearing his voice as he pushed Sanada away gently. "Sanada, find someone who deserves you. You're a great person and I'm sure you'll find someone who'll appreciate and love you as much as I do." Forcing a smile on his face, Yukimura poked Sanada's cheek and added, "You need to smile more though!"

With a small wave of goodbye, Yukimura picked up his bag and walked towards the gate.

"I'll wait for your return!" Sanada suddenly shouted, causing Yukimura to turn around again.

"Why?" Yukimura asked quietly, looking at Sanada with a wistful glimmer in his eyes. "I'm not worth the wait."

Sanada suddenly ran forward and thrust a hard object into Yukimura's hand. Yukimura opened his palm and found the half-heart pendant sitting on his hand, glimmering under the lights. "No matter what, I'll always love you," Sanada said, taking the necklace from Yukimura's hand and putting it on for Yukimura.

Yukimura looked down and touched the pendant. The coolness of the metal on his fingertips warmed his heart.

"Here," Sanada said and held out two buttons. "The second buttons from my school shirt and sports uniform."

Yukimura stared at them in disbelief. How could he deserve this after all the horrible things he did to Sanada? How could he deserve a person like Sanada? Yukimura bit his lips, attempting to prevent his tears from falling. He closed his palm and clutched the buttons tightly. While he was away from Sanada, these were all he would have to remind himself of Sanada's warmth. And the pendant... the proof of their bond.

"_All passengers for flight SY14U, please proceed to gate 24 now,"_ a mechanical voice interrupted Yukimura's thoughts through the public address system._ "All passengers for flight SY14U, please proceed to gate 24 now."_

Yukimura smiled and looked up at Sanada. "I guess I have to go now," he said, trying to keep his smile.

"Good bye," Sanada said, his voice hoarse as tears flowed down his cheeks.

Yukimura hugged Sanada tightly. "I love you."

Sanada could smell that familiar scent of rose and sandalwood shampoo. But it was all too soon before Yukimura let go with tears streaming down his cheeks. He gave Sanada one last smile before walking through the gate, the barrier that would separate them.

As Sanada closed his eyes, remembering Yukimura's scent, Yukimura's smile, Yukimura's voice... he touched the pendant hanging from his necklace.

The heart was broken, but his love for Yukimura would be whole until the end.

* * *

_The end of the nightmare and the dream._

_This was... goodbye._

_

* * *

_**Please review!**

Was the ending too sad?  
My beta wants to be write an epilogue... because apparently, it's too depressing.

Should I...?


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